Saturday morning market in St. Petersburg, Florida, April 14, 2012 (Photo: Lance Cheung/USDA)
Following an emergency U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued slow Friday, the Trump administration instructed states to allow refunds of some Nutrition Assistance benefits in November, another unprecedented reversal of a program that helps 42 million people afford groceries.
Saturday note The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service said states should fund 65% of benefits for users of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, often called food stamps.
Those who approved full payments under previous administration guidance should “immediately reverse” that action, according to the memo.
“To the extent that states submitted complete files for November 2025 SNAP payments, this was unauthorized,” the memo said. “Accordingly, states must immediately reverse any steps taken to grant full SNAP benefits for November 2025. Please inform the appropriate FNS Regional Office representative of the steps taken to correct any actions taken that are inconsistent with this memorandum.”
President Donald Trump and top administration officials have said they cannot pay full SNAP benefits during the government shutdown that began Oct. 1 and are instead, under court order, using the emergency fund to make partial payments.
Shutdown chaos surrounds SNAP
Saturday’s guidance from Patrick A. Penn, deputy undersecretary of the Department of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, marks the latest change in a few messy days for agencies, states administering SNAP, and the millions of Americans who depend on them for food funding.
Penn wrote it in airy a decision of the Supreme Court suspending decisions of lower courts this USDA must pay full benefits for Novemberthe administration was returning to its position that SNAP benefits should be 65% funded.
States – including Wisconsin and Kansas – that have granted full benefits have done so under Friday notealso signed by Penn that said states should allow full payments to SNAP, in line with Thursday’s federal court ruling.
Clear cow scare in Kansas, Wisconsin
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, expressed disappointment in the administration’s decision in a statement Friday complaint to the Supreme Court and noted that earlier in the day, the state had authorized full payments to all eligible Kansas residents.
“Kansansians, most of them children, seniors and people with disabilities, had difficulty putting food on their plates,” she said. “I don’t understand why the President would petition the Supreme Court to deny food to hungry children. It doesn’t advance his political agenda. It doesn’t harm his perceived enemies. It only hurts our most vulnerable and our reputation around the world.”
In a statement Sunday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, vehemently denied attempts to take away any authorized benefits. He added that the state acted in accordance with the court’s order.
“After we did so, the Trump administration assured Wisconsin and other states that they were actively working to implement full SNAP benefits in November and would “complete the processes necessary to make the funds available,” he said. “So far they have not succeeded.”
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, said in a statement: “Let’s be clear about what this is – the Trump administration is demanding that food assistance be taken away from households that already received it. They would rather go door to door and take people’s food than do the right thing and fully fund SNAP for November so that veterans, seniors and children can keep food on the table. This is incomprehensible. incompetent and inconsistent with our values as Americans.”
Court action
In an earlier order issued by Chief U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. Rhode Island ordered the department to operate sources outside the contingency fund to make full November payments by Friday. The order was appealed to the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
However, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, acting for the Supreme Court, given the administration’s request for a fleeting stay on Friday evening, which will speed up the process in what Jackson said will then be a “quick” decision from the appeals court, but will also change the situation once again.
The administration, which for now is no longer required by court order to pay full November benefits, in a Saturday memo directed states to allow providers that process payments to electronic benefit transfer cards to withhold a portion of the monthly allotment.
“States are prohibited from submitting full benefit issuance documents to EBT processors,” Penn wrote. “Instead, states must continue to process and upload partial release files that reflect the 35 percent reduction in maximum allocations detailed in the November 5 guidance.”
Closure negotiations
SNAP funding was a key issue during the shutdown.
In a plan released on September 30, the USDA said it would continue to pay for the roughly $9 billion program per month through its contingency fund. Administration it turned itself around 10 days later, it informed states that SNAP would not be available in November.
Bipartisan US Senate Bill filed on Sunday would end the closure. It includes provisions for full funding of SNAP, the Emergency Fund, and the $23 billion Child Nutrition Programs Fund, which could provide a source of emergency funding for SNAP if the shutdown continues.
Kansas Reflector managing editor Sherman Smith and Wisconsin Examiner managing editor Ruth Conniff contributed to this report.
