Payments Reversed

The Trump Administration instructed states on Saturday to undo some of the food stamp payments they had already issued.

Context

The government shutdown, which began in early October, left the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) without funding for November. SNAP serves roughly 42M Americans – about one in eight people – who rely on monthly benefits to buy groceries.

The Trump Administration initially said it would not fund SNAP benefits during the shutdown, but a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the government to provide at least partial benefits. The administration agreed to provide partial payments of about 65% of normal benefits. The same judge then issued a second order last Thursday requiring the administration to provide full benefits for November, criticizing officials for moving too slowly.

Benefit Confusion

Last Friday, several states, including Wisconsin, Oregon, Hawaii, Kansas, New York, and Pennsylvania, restored full benefits to comply with the Rhode Island federal judge’s orders. However, the Trump Administration then appealed the Rhode Island Judge’s ruling, and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily paused the lower court's order late on Friday night while an appeals court reviewed the case, preventing additional states from issuing full payments.