Donald Trump’s administration has directed US states to stop full food assistance benefits for November and release about 65% of the value of the payments, following a Supreme Court block.
In guidance issued late Saturday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said “states should not issue full benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)” and instead process the reduced payments from the contingency fund.
If full benefits had already been loaded onto assistance cards, the USDA deemed it “unauthorized” and ordered states to “immediately undo any steps taken”, warning of penalties such as loss of federal administrative funds or liability for overpayment.
Guidance reversed on legal battle
This new guidance reverses a USDA memo issued Friday that indicated full funding would be required to comply with a Rhode Island federal judge’s order.
However, that order was stayed by Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Friday night.
The stay blocks a lower court ruling that required the administration to transfer nearly $4 billion (€3.46 billion) from child nutrition programs to cover a gap in SNAP funding due to pending appeals.
Some states have already released full benefits and are refusing to give them back, and are warning of court action if punished.
In a court filing, more than 20 states warned that failure to reimburse full SNAP payments risks “devastating operational disruption.”
Millions of people face budget shortfall
About 42 million low-income Americans, mostly families with children, seniors and people with disabilities, depend on SNAP, which is federally funded but state-administered.
The controversy arose from the 40-day federal government shutdown, the longest in United States history, which left SNAP without new funding after contingency funds covered only partial November benefits.
As legal cases continue, SNAP recipients face strained food pantries, discarded medications, and budget sacrifices.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar