The U.S. Supreme Court has granted permission to the Trump administration to temporarily withhold approximately $4 billion required to fully finance a food assistance program for 42 million low-income Americans this month. The program in question, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or food stamps, is facing partial funding due to the federal government shutdown.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an administrative stay, allowing the lower court more time to review the administration’s formal request to partially fund SNAP for November. The stay is set to expire in two days.
The administration sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court after a judge in Rhode Island ordered them to fully fund SNAP by a specific deadline. In response, the administration had allocated $4.65 billion in emergency funding to cover part of the SNAP benefits for November, which typically cost between $8.5 billion to $9 billion per month.
U.S. Department of Justice attorneys argued that upholding the judge’s ruling would lead to further disruption during the government shutdown. The court had instructed the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to utilize emergency SNAP funding and additional funds from a separate program with a budget of $23.35 billion to make up for the shortfall.
The judge accused the administration of withholding SNAP benefits for political motives. The ruling was a victory for a coalition of challengers represented by the legal group Democracy Forward, leading the administration to appeal to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to halt the decision.
Despite the 1st Circuit denying the administration’s request, prompting the emergency plea to the Supreme Court, the situation remains uncertain for SNAP recipients awaiting full benefits.