Supreme Court Blocks Full SNAP Funding Amid Shutdown Chaos

WASHINGTON, DC (November 8, 2025) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday temporarily blocked a lower court order that required the Trump administration to fully fund November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the ongoing government shutdown, delivering a blow to roughly 42 million low-income Americans facing hunger.

The emergency stay halted a Thursday ruling by U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell in Rhode Island, who had given the government 24 hours to release an estimated $4 billion in full benefits after rejecting a plan to pay only 65% of the roughly $9 billion owed. McConnell warned that partial funding would cause “needless suffering,” stating, “People have gone without for too long” and “It’s likely that SNAP recipients are hungry as we sit here.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit had earlier Friday denied the administration’s request for a stay, prompting an urgent appeal to the Supreme Court. An administration spokesperson told Fox News the lower court orders posed “imminent, irreparable harms” by forcing a massive transfer by midnight.

New York Attorney General Letitia James called the Supreme Court decision “a tragedy for the millions of Americans who rely on SNAP to feed their families,” adding in a statement, “It is disgraceful that the Trump administration chose to fight this in court instead of fulfilling its responsibility to the American people.”

James had previously celebrated the appeals court denial, saying, “Yet another court has ordered the federal government to stop holding food assistance hostage. There is no excuse for their continued refusal to feed the American people.”

Despite the Supreme Court block, the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday told regional SNAP directors it was “working towards implementing November 2025 full benefit issuances in compliance with the November 6, 2025, order from the District Court of Rhode Island.” Deputy Undersecretary Patrick Penn wrote that funds would be made available “later today” for full issuance files.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced state agencies would issue full federal SNAP benefits starting Sunday, blasting President Trump for “preventing millions of Americans from putting food on the table” and describing his actions as “senseless and un-American.”

Separately, James issued a consumer alert warning that some grocery stores were unlawfully refusing existing SNAP balances on EBT cards. Her office sent cease-and-desist letters to chains including ShopRite and Hannaford, reminding them of federal guidance allowing redemption of remaining benefits. “New Yorkers must be able to use their existing SNAP benefits – or food stamps – at any business that is part of the program,” James said.

In New York, SNAP serves nearly three million people, including nearly one million children and over 600,000 older adults, with about $650 million in monthly benefits.

Westchester County hands out SNAP benefits to about 120,000 residents—one in nine—according to 2023 USDA numbers Along the Sound Shore, from Pelham to Port Chester, roughly eight thousand to ten thousand people swipe EBT cards each month.

• Pelham: 7% • 450 residents out of 6,500 total population
• Pelham Manor: 3.5% • 200 residents out of 5,800 total population
• New Rochelle: 6.8% • 5,500 residents out of 81,000 total population
• Larchmont: 6% • 350 residents out of 6,000 total population
• Mamaroneck: 6.3% • 1,200 residents out of 19,000 total population
• Rye Brook: 4.3% • 400 residents out of 9,300 total population
• Rye: 1.9% • 300 residents out of 16,000 total population
• Port Chester: 9.3% • 2,800 residents out of 30,000 total population

The shutdown has marked the first time in SNAP’s 60-year history that payments were halted, exacerbating delays in some states and overburdening food pantries.

This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.