Supreme Court rules full Snap food benefits can be temporarily halted

November 8, 2025

The US Supreme Court has temporarily granted the Trump administration permission to withhold approximately $4 billion in food stamp funding that serves 42 million low-income Americans during an ongoing government shutdown. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an emergency administrative stay that freezes a lower court's decision requiring full payment of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by Friday. A Rhode Island judge had previously accused the administration of withholding food aid for political purposes and warned that 16 million children faced immediate hunger risks.

Who is affected

42 million low-income Americans who receive SNAP benefits (approximately one in eight Americans)
16 million children identified as immediately at risk of going hungry
Federal government workers who have been without pay for over a month
State governments that have attempted to use their own financial reserves to maintain SNAP payments
Air travelers experiencing chaos due to the shutdown

What action is being taken

The Supreme Court is temporarily withholding $4 billion in SNAP funding through an administrative stay
Government lawyers are pursuing an appeal
Some states are drawing on their own financial reserves to keep SNAP payments going
The USDA is working to comply with various court orders (as stated before the Supreme Court intervention)

Why it matters

This decision affects one in eight Americans who rely on food assistance, with the program costing approximately $9 billion monthly. The withholding of $4 billion in benefits places 42 million people, including 16 million children, at immediate risk of food insecurity. The dispute represents one of the most severe consequences of the longest government shutdown in US history, highlighting how political deadlock between Democratic and Republican lawmakers directly impacts vulnerable populations who depend on approximately $6 per day in food assistance.

What's next

Further legal hearings will be held to determine the final outcome of the SNAP funding dispute following the two-day administrative stay issued by the Supreme Court.

Read full article from source: BBC