Judge orders administration to distribute SNAP contingency money
A federal judge in Rhode Island temporarily ordered the Trump administration to continue funding benefits for SNAP, the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“The court is now orally directing USDA to distribute emergency money on time or as soon as possible so that the November 1 payments can be made,” U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. said.
After an hour-long emergency hearing, Judge McConnell ruled that the suspension of SNAP funding was arbitrary and likely to cause irreparable harm, citing the “terror” felt by Americans struggling to meet basic nutritional needs.
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“There is no doubt, and beyond this debate, that irreparable damage will begin to occur (if it has not already occurred) due to the terror created by some people over the availability of food finance for their families,” he said.
The decision came as a federal judge in Boston ruled in a separate case that the Trump administration’s attempt to suspend SNAP funding was “unlawful” but declined to order immediate funding of the program.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani reserved her decision on whether to issue a temporary restraining order and instead asked the Trump administration to advise the court whether they would allow a reduction in SNAP benefits for November.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP – PHOTO: House Speaker Mike Johnson joins Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins at a news conference to talk about the benefits of SNAP food assistance on the 31st day of the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 31, 2025.
He ordered the Trump administration to answer his question about reducing SNAP funding by Monday.
“For the reasons set forth below, Plaintiffs have standing to bring this action and are likely to succeed in their claim that Defendants’ suspension of SNAP benefits was unlawful,” he wrote.
““In cases where the suspension of benefits is based on an erroneous interpretation of applicable statutory provisions, the court will allow Defendants to consider whether to allow at least reduced SNAP benefits for the month of November and to report to the court no later than Monday, November 3, 2025,” he said.
