Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Full SNAP Payments Amid Shutdown, Freezing $4 Billion in Aid

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday evening granted the Trump administration's emergency request for a stay, temporarily halting a lower federal court's mandate to fully fund November's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by the end of the day. Issued by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the pause affects roughly $4 billion in payments to states, impacting an estimated 42 million low-income Americans who depend on SNAP for groceries during the government shutdown, now in its 39th day. The decision came swiftly after U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island ordered full payments on Thursday, November 6, following the administration's announcement that partial benefits—covering about 65% of normal allotments—would face significant delays due to procedural and administrative complexities. Earlier that week, two federal courts had directed the resumption of SNAP funding, offering the government flexibility: full payments by Monday, November 3, or partial disburse...