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Trump Administration Orders States to Reduce Food Aid Payments
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has directed states to halt full food assistance payments under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), citing a Supreme Court order that permits the Trump administration to withhold partial funding pending further legal review.
The move affects over 42 million low-income Americans, who began receiving only 65% of their November 2025 benefits this month due to the ongoing government shutdown. States had briefly resumed full payments following a federal judge's order last week, but the USDA's Saturday memo demands an immediate reversal.
States Ordered to Claw Back Excess Funds
The USDA memo instructs states to "immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025" and recover any overpayments already distributed. Non-compliance could result in the cancellation of federal administrative funding and liability for "any overissuances," the agency warned.
Several states-including New York, Massachusetts, California, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania-had already disbursed full benefits to recipients in line with earlier USDA guidance. The shift follows the Supreme Court's emergency order late Friday, temporarily blocking a lower court's directive to restore full funding.
Democratic Governors Resist, Threaten Legal Action
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, flatly refused the USDA's demand in a Sunday post on X, responding with a single word: "No." Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey echoed defiance, stating that if "President Trump wants to penalize states for preventing Americans from going hungry, we will see him in court."
Healey emphasized that her state had already distributed funds to recipients last week, adhering to the USDA's prior instructions. The legal dispute stems from the administration's initial announcement to halt SNAP benefits in November due to shutdown-related funding shortages.
Background: Shutdown and $4 Billion Funding Freeze
The Supreme Court's intervention allows the Trump administration to withhold $4 billion (£3.04 billion) in SNAP funding while it appeals the lower court's ruling. The program, which supports roughly one in eight Americans, costs nearly $9 billion (£6.9 billion) monthly.
A typical family of four receives about $715 per month-less than $6 per person per day-under SNAP. The latest memo escalates the administration's funding battle over the program, now entangled in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
"States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025."
USDA memo, November 2025
