Overview
- U.S. district judges Indira Talwani in Massachusetts and John McConnell in Rhode Island directed the administration to use contingency money to provide at least partial November SNAP benefits.
- President Trump said he instructed government lawyers to seek the quickest lawful way to fund payments, though the Justice Department signaled potential appeals.
- USDA says only about $5.3 billion remains in its contingency fund against roughly $8–9 billion in November SNAP costs, and DOJ argued nearly $17 billion in tariff revenues are committed to child nutrition programs.
- State issuances were halted after an October 10 USDA letter, creating technical delays; roughly 3 million were due benefits on Nov. 1 and about 13.7 million by Nov. 5, with any restart requiring new data transmissions.
- USDA officials warn across-the-board benefit reductions would be unprecedented and complex to implement, while states and charities roll out stopgaps such as California’s $80 million for food banks, New York’s $30 million, Louisiana and Vermont emergency measures, and private donations including H‑E‑B’s $6 million.