SNAP benefits: Appeals court allows judge's order forcing Trump admin to pay full food stamp money

Source: CNBC

Published Fri, Nov 7 2025 10:00 AM EST Updated 2 Min Ago


A federal appeals court on Friday declined to block a judge’s order compelling the Trump administration to pay 42 million Americans full SNAP benefits for November as the federal government shutdown persists.

The move came hours after the Trump administration asked the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to allow it to pay 65% of the food stamp benefits this month from a contingency fund, as the administration had proposed to the lower court judge earlier this week. Judge Jack McConnell on Thursday had issued an order in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island rejecting the partial payment option.

McConnell ordered that the U.S. Department of Agriculture use so-called Section 32 funds to help fully fund the SNAP benefits, along with the $4.65 billion it already planned to use from the contingency fund appropriated by Congress. The administration earlier had rejected the idea of using Section 32 funds for that purpose.

In its filing Friday with the appeals court, the Trump administration said that the “crisis” of the lack of regular funding for full SNAP payments “can only be solved by congressional action.”

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/07/snap-trump-appeals-food-stamps.html