The Supreme Court issued an emergency order on Friday night, temporarily blocking full payments of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The fate of SNAP has become a critical and ongoing flashpoint in the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, with nearly 42 million Americans depending on the assistance to eat, some of whom already faced interruptions in food assistance due to the program’s funding being in limbo.
What To Know
According to the Associated Press, the High Court granted the Trump Administration’s request to appeal a previous ruling that would require SNAP to be fully funded amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The order written by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says in part, “The applicants assert that, without intervention from this
Court, they will have to ‘transfer an estimated $4 billion by tonight’ to fund SNAP benefits through November.”
“Given the First Circuit’s representations, an administrative stay is required to facilitate the First Circuit’s expeditious resolution of the pending stay motion,” Justice Jackson wrote. The order now blocks a previous ruling by a Rhode Island judge that required the payments to be paid out by Friday night, NBC News notes.
What People Are Saying
New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul on X earlier on Friday before the Supreme Court order: “I’ve just directed state agencies to fully fund federal SNAP benefits for November. President Trump’s actions have been senseless and un-American. I’ll never stop fighting for New York’s families.”
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on X on Friday before the order: “Donald Trump is now going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to take SNAP food benefits away from Americans in need. California won’t back down in court from supporting the tens of millions of Americans the Trump Administration seemingly wants to starve.”
Trump on Truth Social on Tuesday: “SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT”
What Happens Next
The Supreme Court’s administrative stay pauses District Judge John J. McConnell Jr.’s previous mandate for full SNAP payments, giving the First Circuit Court of Appeals additional time to review the case.
Meanwhile, millions of SNAP recipients face continued uncertainty about the timing and amount of their benefits.
Update 11/7/25 10:33 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.