Chicago – November 01, 2025
President Donald Trump’s administration cannot suspend food aid for millions of Americans during the ongoing government shutdown, two federal judges ruled on Friday, saying the government must use contingency funds to pay for the benefits.
The dual rulings by judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island came in a pair of lawsuits seeking to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s suspension on Saturday of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, known as SNAP or food stamps.
Democrats and Republicans in Congress have been trading blame for the prolonged shutdown, which has put SNAP benefits in jeopardy.
It was not immediately clear whether the rulings mean that benefits will be paid on November 1.
Both judges ordered the administration to report back to them on Monday on how it will comply with their decisions.
Trump said on social media that the federal government likely does not have legal authority to pay SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, and that his lawyers are asking courts “to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.”
“If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding,” Trump wrote.
SNAP benefits are available to Americans whose income is less than 130% of the federal poverty line, or $1,632 a month for a one-person household and $2,215 for a two-person household in many areas. States are responsible for the day-to-day administration of the benefits, which are paid out monthly.
JUDGES SAY EMERGENCY FUNDING CAN BE USED
The USDA has said insufficient funds exist to pay full benefits to 42 million low-income Americans, as they cost $8.5 billion to $9 billion per month. The administration said the agency lacked authority to pay them until Congress passes a spending bill ending a government shutdown that began October 1.
But U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, at the end of a hearing in a lawsuit brought by cities, nonprofit organizations and a union, said the administration’s decision not to tap $5.25 billion in contingency funds to fund November benefits was arbitrary.
