Supreme Court halts federal government SNAP payments; Trump orders states to return those payments
By G. A. McNeeley
November 10, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- The Trump Administration is escalating its legal battle over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), demanding that states immediately "undo" full SNAP benefit payments that were distributed, following last week’s court orders, according to Newsweek.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a memo on Saturday, November 8, threatening to enact financial penalties on states that issued full monthly SNAP benefits for November if they don’t “undo” those payments, according to CNBC.
The Trump Administration on Friday, November 7, asked the Supreme Court to pause a ruling by District Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. in Rhode Island that requires the government to pay $4 billion to fully fund the federal food-stamp program for November, according to SCOTUSblog.
Nonprofits and Democratic attorneys previously sued to force The Trump Administration to maintain SNAP benefits despite the government shutdown. After winning favorable rulings last week, millions of dollars in benefits were swiftly released to beneficiaries in multiple states, according to Newsweek.
However, on Friday, November 7, Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in her role as circuit justice for the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, temporarily paused those rulings while the Court considered The Trump Administration's appeal.
Approximately 42 million Americans rely on monthly SNAP benefits, and advocates warn that any interruptions or reductions in payments could place significant financial strain on the households that depend on the program, according to Newsweek.
What Is Happening Within The Supreme Court?
U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote that McConnell’s “unprecedented” order “makes a mockery of the separation of powers,” according to SCOTUSblog. He acknowledged that the “funding lapse” due to the government shutdown “is a crisis,” but he called it “a crisis occasioned by congressional failure and one that can only be solved through congressional action.”
The Trump Administration appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. When it filed its application, the court of appeals hadn’t acted on the government’s request. In a letter distributed to reporters shortly after The Trump Administration’s application was filed, Sauer told the justices that the 1st Circuit had denied the government’s request for an immediate administrative stay but indicated that it would act “as quickly as possible” on the request for a stay pending appeal.
Urging the justices to block McConnell’s ruling, Sauer argued that “the SNAP statute is explicit that SNAP benefits are subject to available appropriations, and it states plainly that SNAP payments shall not exceed the funds appropriated for the program.” If there isn’t enough funding, he wrote, “USDA will direct States to reduce their benefits -- which is exactly what USDA did this week,” according to SCOTUSblog.
Sauer warned that if McConnell’s ruling is “allowed to stand,” it will “metastasize and sow further shutdown chaos… every beneficiary of a federal program could run into court, point to an agency’s general discretion to prioritize funding, and claim that failing to prioritize their chosen program” violated the federal law governing administrative agencies.
Finally, Sauer said that once the funds have been paid out, “there is no ready mechanism for the government to recover” them, according to SCOTUSblog.
What Did The USDA Say In Their Memo?
Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary of the USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, signed the memo that warned states that the administration hadn’t cleared full SNAP benefit payments for November, according to CNBC.
“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized,” the memo said, according to CNBC. The memo also said state program administrators were directed to distribute 65% partial payments of SNAP benefits for the month instead.
States must also “immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025,” the memo said, according to CNBC. Failure to comply could result in the USDA cancelling the federal share of administration costs or holding states financially liable for “any overissuances that result from the noncompliance.”
However, Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ issued a quick response to The Trump Administration’s demand. “No,” he said in a statement, according to PBS.
Wisconsin exemplifies the bind states face. Governor Evers' administration loaded benefits onto cards for 700,000 residents following a Rhode Island judge's order, but after the U.S. Treasury froze reimbursements, the state anticipates running out of money by Monday, November 10. According to states' filings at the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, the situation could force states to demand return of hundreds of millions of dollars in the aggregate, creating what they describe as "catastrophic operational disruptions,” according to Newsweek.
What Have People Been Saying About This?
Governor Evers, said in a statement that "Wisconsin legally loaded benefits to cards, ensuring nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites, including nearly 270,000 kids, had access to basic food and groceries,” according to Newsweek. “After we did so, the Trump Administration assured Wisconsin and other states that they were actively working to implement full SNAP benefits for November and would 'complete the processes necessary to make funds available.' They have failed to do so to date."
Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said that “it’s one thing if the federal government is going to continue its level of appeal through the courts to say, no, this can't be done,” according to Newsweek. “But when you are telling the states that have said this is a significant enough issue in our state, we're going to find resources, backfill or front load, whatever term you want, to help our people, those states should not be penalized."
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries previously said on X on Friday, November 7, that “the Trump administration is begging the Supreme Court to block an order requiring them to immediately release SNAP benefits,” according to Newsweek. “Meanwhile, millions of hungry Americans are at risk of starving. These extremists are sick people.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that "our attorneys will not stop fighting, day and night, to defend and advance President Trump’s agenda,” according to Newsweek.
Previous Comments That Judge McConnell Made
On Thursday, November 6, Judge McConnell previously accused the administration of withholding SNAP for "political reasons," as he ordered the USDA to fund the program, so that people can get 100% of their benefits, according to Reuters.
"The evidence shows that people will go hungry, food pantries will be overburdened, and needless suffering will occur," McConnell said, during a virtual court hearing, according to Reuters. "That's what irreparable harm here means."
Previous Contradicting Comments That Trump Made
However, it’s worth mentioning just how confusing Trump’s statements about SNAP have been in the past.
Trump previously wrote on Truth Social that SNAP “will be given only when those Radical Left Democrats open up the government, which they can easily do, and not before,” according to CNN. But, in a separate Truth Social post, he said that “if we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding.”
Sources:
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-demands-states-undo-full-snap-benefit-payouts-11018765
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/09/snap-trump-states-food-patrick-penn.html
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115492285081397189
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/04/politics/snap-benefits-trump-threat
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115471065919157533