Court decides on emergency SNAP payments

Trump Administration Wins Temporary Victory Over SNAP Benefits

The Trump administration secured a brief win on Tuesday by extending a temporary stay related to the lower court’s order requiring it to pay out all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November. This came shortly after the administration sought emergency intervention from the Supreme Court.

In a brief submitted on Monday, Trump officials requested that the Supreme Court maintain an emergency stay issued last week by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. This extension will remain effective until 11:59 PM on Thursday, November 13th.

U.S. Attorney General D. John Sauer had called for an emergency stay to encourage Congress to resume full SNAP payments before resolving the ongoing government shutdown. The main concern was whether the Trump administration would have to start full November payments for SNAP benefits, which had lapsed at the start of the month due to the shutdown.

Last month, several states filed a lawsuit to maintain SNAP benefits, arguing that halting aid would negatively impact millions of low-income Americans. They pointed out, “Due to USDA action, SNAP benefits will be deferred for the first time since the program began.”

Legal Uncertainty for SNAP Benefits

Lower courts sided with the states, ordering the full payment of SNAP benefits, which led the Trump administration to urgently appeal to the Supreme Court. In the appeal, Trump’s legal team argued that the lower court’s judges had overstepped their boundaries, emphasizing that the solution to the crisis lies with Congress, not the courts.

They indicated, “The only way to end this crisis, which the executive branch firmly hopes to end, is for Congress to resume government.”

On Tuesday, the states accused the Trump administration of manipulating SNAP benefits for political gain, insisting that any further delays would cause significant and irreparable harm. They highlighted that the government had failed to provide a valid justification for its actions, urging that the stay be terminated.

As a response to a court order, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a directive on Saturday to immediately reverse its decision on full SNAP benefits and allocate only 65% of the support that had been agreed upon. Failure to comply, officials warned, could result in substantial financial penalties for states.

This prompted U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani to intervene, halting the USDA’s orders due to the confusion it caused. New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin expressed concern over the impact of these actions, stating they represented the most egregious overreach he’d witnessed in his tenure, noting that more children in New Jersey rely on SNAP than the total population of the state’s largest city.