Two federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown, providing a temporary lifeline for millions of Americans who rely on the benefits.
The nearly simultaneous rulings came one day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture was set to freeze payments, saying it had run out of money to support the $8 billion-per-month program. SNAP serves roughly one in eight Americans and is the nation’s largest food assistance program.
In Providence, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell ordered the administration to use contingency funds “as soon as possible” to pay for November benefits and maintain existing work-requirement waivers for older adults and veterans. Meanwhile, in Boston, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani called the suspension of benefits “unlawful” and directed officials to report by Monday whether they would fully or partially fund the program using both emergency and available funds.
The rulings followed lawsuits from 25 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia, which argued that the administration had a legal duty to use available contingency funds—about $5 billion—to keep SNAP operating. Federal officials claimed those funds could only be used for natural disasters, not during a funding lapse.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Friday that the emergency funds wouldn’t cover the program for long, blaming Democrats for prolonging the shutdown. “It doesn’t even cover half of what’s needed for November SNAP,” she said.
It remains unclear how quickly benefits can be restored, but the decisions prevent an immediate lapse that would have affected more than 42 million Americans. The Justice Department has not yet said whether it will appeal.
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