Overview
- U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani is holding an in-person hearing today on a request for a temporary restraining order that would compel November SNAP payments in the suing states.
- USDA told states no November benefits will be issued, saying required funds of roughly $8–9.2 billion exceed a $5–6 billion reserve and warning that using it would be legally dubious and operationally disruptive.
- The department argues tapping reserves could drain disaster and child nutrition accounts and create delays or chaos in calculating reduced benefits, while states say law requires paying as long as any funds remain.
- If payments stop, it would be the first shutdown-related lapse in SNAP’s six-decade history, affecting nearly 42 million people who rely on the program for monthly grocery purchases.
- States and charities are scrambling with partial stopgaps, including Louisiana’s up to $150 million in state funds prioritizing vulnerable groups and New York’s emergency support for food pantries, as food banks report surging demand they cannot fully cover.