A federal judge’s demand that the Trump administration immediately release billions in food assistance triggered a Supreme Court intervention Friday, as the government shutdown enters its second month with millions of Americans awaiting grocery benefits.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an administrative stay blocking a lower court’s order requiring full November payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The temporary halt affects approximately $4 billion in disputed funding that would complete payments for 42 million low-income recipients.
The stay remains active until the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston decides whether to uphold the original order. That ruling is expected within days.
US District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island issued Thursday’s directive after determining the administration possessed adequate resources to fund the complete $8.5 to $9 billion November benefit cycle.
McConnell pointed to a separate $23.35 billion child-nutrition account supported by tariff revenues as an available funding source.
The Obama-appointed judge stated the administration withheld assistance for “political reasons.” His order mandated immediate use of all accessible funds to cover full monthly allocations.
The Justice Department pushed back forcefully, warning the Supreme Court that McConnell’s directive would “sow further shutdown chaos” and create “a run on the bank by way of judicial fiat.”
Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued the ruling violated constitutional boundaries by forcing expenditures Congress had not authorized. “This unprecedented injunction makes a mockery of the separation of powers,” Sauer wrote in emergency filings submitted to the high court, the New York Post reported.
Administration officials said they already allocated $4.65 billion in emergency reserves to partially cover November costs. They contended the judge’s order could drain accounts designated for other nutrition programs.
The 1st Circuit initially declined to pause McConnell’s order but has not yet ruled on the administration’s broader appeal challenging the directive.
The situation grew more complicated Friday when the Department of Agriculture notified state officials that complete benefit funds had become available.
The notification arrived even as Justice Department lawyers filed paperwork seeking to block the very order that released those resources.
Multiple states moved rapidly to distribute full payments after receiving the USDA communication.
The Post reported that officials in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts said they could not risk additional delays for struggling families.
Wisconsin, Oregon, Hawaii and Pennsylvania confirmed they released complete November benefits by Friday evening.
Colorado, North Carolina and Illinois announced plans to follow through over the weekend.
Delaware took separate action, using state treasury funds to provide emergency payments while federal litigation continues.
Sauer informed the Supreme Court that several states rushed to “seize what they could of the agency’s finite set of remaining funds” before appeals could proceed through federal courts, according to the Post.
The legal and administrative confusion has left roughly one in eight Americans uncertain about receiving food assistance. SNAP benefits lapsed at November’s start for the first time since the program’s establishment six decades ago.
Monthly benefits vary based on household size and income levels. Single-person households can receive up to $298 monthly, while two-person households qualify for as much as $546.
