Overview
- Late Saturday, the USDA directed states to stop issuing full November SNAP payments and to process only partial benefits equal to about 65% of the maximum allotment.
- States were told not to transmit full issuance files to EBT processors and warned they could face canceled federal administrative funding and liability for any overpayments if they do not comply.
- Several states had already moved to issue full benefits after a lower-court ruling, and Wisconsin said U.S. Treasury reimbursements were frozen after it loaded payments for about 700,000 residents.
- Governors and state officials pushed back, with Wisconsin’s governor refusing to return funds and a multistate coalition warning that clawbacks could cause catastrophic operational disruptions.
- Roughly 42 million people depend on SNAP, which saw payments lapse on November 1 during the shutdown, and the First Circuit is now considering the administration’s appeal as states shift back to partial issuances.