Overview
- Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an administrative stay late Friday that temporarily halted a Rhode Island judge’s order requiring full November SNAP payments.
- USDA told state directors Friday it was working to implement full issuances and to make funds available, prompting some states to reload benefits before the stay took effect.
- Officials reported full payments reaching recipients in states including California, Oregon, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Kansas, New Jersey, Washington and Hawaii, with New York saying distributions begin Sunday.
- Justice Department filings argue courts cannot compel spending beyond contingency reserves, after USDA had moved to cover roughly 65% of November benefits using limited funds.
- The funding lapse during the shutdown produced the program’s first missed monthly payments, increasing demand at food banks and spurring local stopgaps such as emergency aid and community meal programs.