A pair of federal courts ruled that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) must access emergency contingency funds to maintain at least partial support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rather than allowing a full suspension of benefits during the government shutdown.
Servicing about 42 million recipients and costing approximately $8 billion per month, the program was slated to halt benefits at the end of the month. The USDA had argued it lacked funding authority without congressional appropriation.
Judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island determined that withholding SNAP benefits entirely was likely unlawful given the available contingency funds and statutory mandate. They directed the USDA to report on restoring full or partial benefits by Monday.
Despite the rulings, implementation remains uncertain: many beneficiaries may face delays as state agencies process payments and the USDA appeals the decision.