US courts force Trump administration to resume partial food aid amid shutdown

The United States government will partially restore food assistance for low-income Americans after two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration’s suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was unlawful.

SNAP serves one in eight Americans each month but was set to freeze on November 1, after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it could no longer fund the programme if the government shutdown continued.

On Friday, judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ordered the administration to use contingency funds to keep the $8bn-a-month programme running. In a filing to the Rhode Island court on Monday, the USDA agreed to “fulfill its obligation to expend the full amount of SNAP contingency funds today,” referring to about $5bn that will now be released.

US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston ruled that the administration’s planned suspension was “unlawful” and “erroneous.”

“This court has now clarified that Defendants are required to use those Contingency Funds as necessary for the SNAP program,” she wrote.

In Rhode Island, Judge John McConnell reached a similar conclusion, saying during a virtual hearing that “it is beyond argument that irreparable harm will begin to occur” if benefits are halted.

It remains unclear when recipients will see funds again, as reloading SNAP debit cards can take up to two weeks. Officials have not confirmed how much of the full benefit will be covered.

The rulings came amid growing public anger over the government’s record-breaking shutdown, now in its 35th day, which has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid.

President Donald Trump, posting on Truth Social, claimed the court decisions were “conflicting” and accused “Radical Democrats” of spreading misinformation about the food aid programme.

Meanwhile, false claims circulating online suggested that immigrants were the largest SNAP beneficiaries, a claim disproven by USDA data showing that white Americans make up more than 35 percent of recipients.

SNAP typically provides between $190 and $356 in groceries per household each month, making it a cornerstone of the country’s anti-poverty efforts.