Overview
- Separate rulings in Rhode Island and Massachusetts direct the USDA to use roughly $5–6 billion in contingency funds and to report compliance plans by Monday.
- One judge deemed the refusal to tap reserves arbitrary and asked the agency to evaluate whether an additional roughly $23 billion fund could be used if needed.
- The USDA had planned to halt payments on Nov. 1 for about 42 million people, posting that "the well has run dry," but the courts said benefits must continue.
- President Trump said he instructed lawyers to seek court guidance and signaled willingness to provide funding if directed, while the administration argues legal limits on the reserves.
- States and private groups are deploying stopgaps, with New York and New Jersey announcing emergency measures and food banks expanding services, as EBT reloads can take one to two weeks and reserves are below the $8–9 billion needed for a full month.