Tuesday, November 11, 2025 -A federal appeals court has refused the attempt by the Donald Trump administration to halt a lower court order requiring the full payment of November benefits under SNAP to some 42 million Americans.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit unanimously held that the district court had acted within its discretion, emphasizing that the evidence of widespread harm from withheld benefits outweighed the government’s arguments. The administration’s plan to pay only a portion and delay the remainder was deemed unacceptable in light of the urgent need for food assistance.
In response to the government shutdown and funding impasse, the district court had ordered the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to tap roughly $4 billion earmarked for child-nutrition programs to make up the shortfall.
The administration opposed this, arguing that doing so would jeopardize other programs and lacked congressional appropriation. However, judges noted that the administration had made little effort to prepare for the shortfall.
Despite the appeals court ruling, the issue remains in flux. A temporary administrative stay from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has paused the full order while further review takes place.
Today’s decision sends a clear message: in times of shutdown, access to critical food aid cannot be easily delayed. The stakes are high for millions of vulnerable families and the program that supports them.
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