The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended a short-term order allowing the Trump administration to continue withholding full food stamp payments for November, a move aimed at buying time as Congress works toward reopening the federal government.
The decision came as part of a fast-moving emergency appeal over Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which provide aid to more than 40 million Americans. Several related lawsuits in lower courts could soon be rendered moot if lawmakers reach an agreement to end the shutdown, CNN reported.
For now, the “administrative stay” issued by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson last Friday remains in place, blocking a lower-court order that would have required the administration to deliver full federal food benefits. In a brief unsigned order Tuesday, the Court said the stay would be extended through the end of the day Thursday. Jackson dissented from the extension.
The spiraling legal fight over food stamps has become one of the most tangible impacts of the shutdown, alongside widespread flight cancellations and government service disruptions.
Advocates for SNAP recipients told the Court earlier Tuesday that millions of Americans have “now gone ten days without the help they need to afford food.” They warned that children and families across the country are struggling to eat as the dispute drags on.
Nearly 42 million Americans receive food stamps throughout each month, with about 27 million scheduled to get their allotments by Monday, according to Code for America, a nonprofit that partners with states on safety-net programs.
On average, households receive roughly $350 per month in benefits, but that money often runs out quickly.
The Trump administration argued that the lower-court ruling had overstepped, forcing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to transfer nearly $4 billion between accounts. Justice Department lawyers said the order “injects the federal courts into the political branches’ closing efforts to end this shutdown.”
Under a separate court order not before the Supreme Court, the USDA relied on contingency funds to pay partial SNAP benefits for November. The high-court question was whether the administration could be forced to pay the full amount.
Due to conflicting USDA guidance and multiple court rulings, some states have issued full benefits while others provided only partial payments. According to a CNN tally, at least 16 states have sent full benefits and five more have sent partial payments.
The dispute traces back to last month, when officials said recipients would not receive November payments because of the lapse in government funding. The announcement prompted two lawsuits, with judges in different jurisdictions ordering the USDA to use contingency funds to at least partially fund benefits or tap other sources to make full payments.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island ruled last week that the administration had not acted fast enough to ensure benefits were distributed, calling its response “arbitrary and capricious.” He ordered the USDA to fully fund November benefits.
The administration immediately appealed to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston and then to the Supreme Court.
Justice Jackson, who handles emergency appeals from that circuit, issued an administrative stay on Friday that temporarily paused McConnell’s order. That stay was set to expire just before midnight Tuesday, but the Court’s new order extends it through Thursday.
Jackson did not explain her dissent from the extension.
The decision leaves millions of low-income Americans in limbo for at least a few more days, as the standoff over SNAP funding continues to mirror the broader political fight over reopening the government.