The Trump administration has ordered states to "immediately undo any steps" that were taken to provide full November benefits to millions of low-income Americans through the Supplemental and Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), claiming that the move was "unauthorized."
According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) memo that was sent out late Saturday and obtained by Scripps News, the Trump administration also threatened to cancel federal funding for states who did not abide by the order.
RELATED STORY | ‘Well has run dry’: USDA blames Democrats for SNAP funding lapse during shutdown
"States must not transmit full benefit issuance files to EBT processors," the memo says. "Instead, States must continue to process and load the partial issuance files that reflect the 35 percent reduction of maximum allotments."
Initially, the Trump administration said last month that it would not be able to fully fund SNAP benefits for November because of the ongoing federal government shutdown, which stretched into day 40 on Sunday. However, some states on Friday began issuing full SNAP benefits after a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to provide the funding.
Adding to the twists and turns, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson late Friday lifted a deadline imposed by the Rhode Island judge, which ordered the USDA to tap into a separate account to provide full SNAP funding for November. Under the Supreme Court's order, full payouts will remain paused while an appeal of the initial order plays out in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Some states got SNAP benefits overnight — here’s why others haven’t
"IT IS ORDERED that the District Court’s orders are hereby administratively stayed pending disposition of the motion for a stay pending appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit," the Friday night order read.
Meanwhile, with no end to the government shutdown in sight, it remains unclear what could happen to SNAP benefits after the contingency funds are drained. More than 40 million Americans rely on SNAP each month for food assistance.
