Overview
- The justices extended an administrative stay through Thursday night on a Rhode Island judge’s order requiring USDA to fully fund November SNAP.
- With roughly $4 billion withheld, the program is operating at about 65% funding from contingency reserves during the shutdown.
- The administration argues it can legally use only limited reserves and not transfer additional money, such as Section 32 funds, without Congress.
- Conflicting federal guidance created a patchwork in which some states issued full or partial payments before being told to reverse course, prompting a separate court to pause that rollback directive.
- Roughly 42 million recipients face delays that have strained food banks and forced households to ration while states and courts navigate the shifting orders.