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SNAP benefits: Will Americans receive payments this month? Here's what Supreme Court ruled today
The Supreme Court has issued an update on a temporary order blocking full food assistance payments under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The Supreme Court has extended a temporary order blocking full food assistance payments under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Newsweek reported. The decision came on Tuesday, November 11, keeping in place a system where some recipients have received their full monthly benefits, while others have received no assistance at all.
The order – a district judge's funding order – will expire just before midnight Thursday, November 13. By this time, the Congress could approve a deal to reopen the government.
Read More | US senate passes bill to end government shutdown, awaits final House vote
Previously, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson had paused the district judge's funding deadline while the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was considering it. In the latest decision, Jackson disagreed with the majority's decision to extend the pause on full food stamp benefits.
According to lawmakers, restoring operations would let SNAP payments resume for millions of Americans. However, it remains unclear how quickly full benefits would be restored, according to USA Today.
Recent USDA memo
The Trump administration recently ordered US states to stop paying full food aid benefits to low-income American families, calling them “unauthorized,” according to the BBC. A memo from the US Department of Agriculture, which runs SNAP, said that states are allowed to deliver just 65% of benefits after the Supreme Court allowed the administration to withhold some funding until further legal hearings are held.
Read More | US Supreme Court lets Trump withhold $4 billion in food aid funding for now
The USDA memo directed states to stop paying out 100% of November's benefits. States were also asked to claw back funds they have already distributed above the 65% threshold.
"States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025," the USDA said in its memo on Saturday, November 8.
The agency warned that if states fail to comply with the guidance, it may cancel federal funding for state administrative costs. It also warned that it may hold states "liable for any overissuances.”
The House is set to vote on Wednesday, November 12, to reopen the government through January 30 and cover full-year funding for multiple agencies and programs. This includes food aid and veterans' benefits.
