USDA Says It Is Working to Comply With Court Order to Pay Food-Aid Benefits
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it is working to comply with a federal court ruling requiring the full issuance of benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for November 2025, amid the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.
A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the USDA to release sufficient funds to cover full SNAP benefits, rejecting earlier plans by the administration to issue only partial payments.
Following that ruling, USDA issued a memo to states indicating that the department will “complete the processes necessary to make funds available to support … full issuance files” to state Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) processors.
The SNAP program supports roughly 42 million Americans each month.
Due to the shutdown, full funding of the program had lapsed — an unprecedented occurrence in its 60-year history.
The estimated monthly cost of full benefits is about US$8.5–9 billion, while the administration initially intended to draw upon a contingency fund of roughly US$5.25 billion, which would have covered only a portion of benefits.
In its court filings, USDA warned that state systems would need “weeks to up to several months” to implement the necessary changes to issue partial benefits — which underscored the logistical challenge before full-funding was ordered.
The administration has appealed the ruling and asked the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to delay enforcement, but states were already acting to distribute full payments after receiving the USDA memo.
Key implications:
SNAP recipients may begin receiving full November payments, contingent on state systems completing the required processes.
Even with the USDA’s commitment, delays remain likely as states adapt systems and funds flow through.
The dispute highlights the vulnerability of social-safety-net programs during a federal shutdown and the role of the judiciary in enforcing benefit obligations.
Outlook:
While USDA has pledged compliance, the timing of benefit delivery and the full scope of payments remain dependent on administrative action at both federal and state levels. Beneficiaries and state agencies alike will be monitoring the next few weeks closely
