The SNAP Program and the Shutdown

Yes, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson granted an emergency request from the Trump administration to temporarily halt a lower court order requiring the full funding of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November.

This decision creates a temporary pause on the requirement to distribute full SNAP payments to 42 million Americans and gives the First Circuit Appeals Court time to issue a ruling on the administration’s motion to stay the lower court’s order. Justice Jackson’s order is temporary and will expire 48 hours after the appeals court issues its decision.

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🏛️ Key Context of the Legal Battle

The SNAP Program and the Shutdown

The SNAP program (often called food stamps) provides monthly food assistance to approximately 42 million low-income Americans, with a total cost typically running around $8 to $9 billion per month. The program became jeopardized by an ongoing government shutdown, which the administration claimed depleted its contingency funds.

The Lower Court’s Order

U.S. District Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island had ordered the administration to use available federal funds, including transferring money from the National School Lunch Program, to ensure full SNAP payments for November. The administration objected to this, arguing it would be “starv[ing] Peter to feed Paul” and illegally seizing the power of Congress to allocate funds. The administration had initially planned to issue only partial payments (approximately 50-65% of the usual benefit) using the available contingency funds.

The Administration’s Argument

U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer argued that the funding lapse was a “crisis occasioned by congressional failure” and could only be solved by Congress approving new spending. The administration warned that allowing the District Court’s order to stand would encourage a “run on the bank by way of judicial fiat” during the shutdown, as other programs sought similar court-ordered relief.

Impact on States

Two dozen states warned that the legal uncertainty and the administration’s plan to issue partial payments were causing “chaos and confusion” because their distribution systems are not built to process reduced or altered payments on short notice. For example, Minnesota estimated it would take at least six weeks to rewrite the source code to process the partial payments.

The current Supreme Court order provides a brief reprieve for the administration but keeps the ultimate decision on full November funding pending with the First Circuit Appeals Court.