Overview
- Massachusetts is the venue for the coalition’s lawsuit seeking an emergency order to force USDA to issue November SNAP benefits, with plaintiffs requesting swift relief before Nov. 1.
- USDA has directed states to pause November issuance and says contingency funds are legally unavailable during a lapse, noting November benefits total about $9.2 billion versus an estimated $5–6 billion in reserves.
- Plaintiffs argue USDA can use SNAP’s contingency reserve and other transfer authorities, including Section 32, and note prior shutdowns did not interrupt benefits.
- Roughly 40–42 million people could miss payments, a gap officials and advocates say would strain food banks, retailers, and household budgets nationwide.
- States are mounting stopgaps as the case proceeds; California fast-tracked $80 million for food banks and deployed the National Guard, while broader relief awaits court action or a congressional fix.