The Supreme Court handed President Trump a victory Friday, blocking a lower court's request for full food stamp payments to 42 million Americans during the government shutdown.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson granted an administrative stay that freezes a Rhode Island federal judge's order requiring full November SNAP benefits, New York Post reported. The stay continues until the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on the administration's appeal, plus two days.
The dispute centers on about $4 billion in additional funding needed for the November food aid. The Trump administration has allocated $4.65 billion in emergency funds but has refused to cover the program's total monthly cost of $8.5 billion to $9 billion, according to the newspaper.
Federal Judge John McConnell, an Obama appointee, on Thursday ordered the government to use a $23.35 billion child nutrition fund to make full payments. advantages. He accused officials of refusing aid for “political reasons.” (RELATED: Trump Says SNAP Will Only Be Funded After Democrats Help End Shutdown)
🚨 URGENT: The Supreme Court rules in favor of President Trump not being forced to spend money the government doesn't have on SNAP during the shutdown, for now.
This is an absurd question.
It is impossible to get money out of nothing. pic.twitter.com/pG8Lz31bJZ
— Eric Dougherty (@EricLDaugh) November 8, 2025
Solicitor General D. John Sauer responded to the Supreme Court's statements by calling the order “a mockery of the separation of powers.” The Justice Department warned that McConnell's decision would “wreak further lockdown chaos” by forcing money to be spent without Congress OK.
States struggled Friday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed funds were available for full payments. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Oregon, Hawaii and Pennsylvania issued full benefits immediately. Colorado, North Carolina and Illinois have distributions planned for the weekend. Delaware used public money to urgent Care.
Sauer complained to the justices that states were rushing to “take whatever they could from the agency's limited pool of remaining funds” before appeals were completed.
SNAP benefits range from $298 a month for single recipients to $546 for two-person households. The program serves approximately one in eight Americans.
