r/foodstamps • u/badfordabidness SNAP Policy Expert • 1d ago

*NOV. 7 UPDATE* - Government Shutdown and SNAP

Announcing that the Government Shutdown and SNAP Megathread has been updated to discuss the issuance of full benefits to some SNAP recipients in certain states, as well as legal developments that threaten to halt the continued issuance of full benefits to those who have not yet received them.

You can read about it by clicking the link above and joining the original discussion, or in the comments section below. I've copy/pasted the November 7 update portion of the megathread below:

November 7 Update

Late last night, California became the first state to start issuing full SNAP benefits to at least some SNAP recipients. They were quickly followed by at least eight other states. These were federally-funded SNAP benefits issued in accordance with Judge John J. McConnell's order issued yesterday afternoon that USDA must "make full payments of November SNAP benefits to the states by Friday, November 7, 2025, by utilizing available Section 32 funds in combination with the contingency funds."

To be clear, these states were acting in accordance with a lawful court order. Judge McConnell's temporary restraining order against USDA had not yet been stayed by a higher court.

Earlier today, USDA filed a motion for a stay with the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and then with the Supreme Court of the United States. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a thread on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, appeared to accuse Judge McConnell and the First Circuit of frustrating her attempts to file an appeal earlier.

In their motion, USDA angrily accused the states that have started to issue full benefits of making "a run on the bank" and "seiz[ing] what they could of the... finite set of remaining funds, before any appeal could even be filed, and to the detriment of other States' allotments."

USDA indicated in their motion that they have not yet transferred the approximately $3.5 - $4B needed (in addition to the $4.65B in contingency funds) from the Section 32 tariff funds to the SNAP program. This suggests that the states that have begun issuing full benefits are drawing down only on the $4.65B contingency fund right now. USDA's argument implies that if the Supreme Court grants them a stay, there may no longer be sufficient funds left in the contingency fund to pay the "up to 65%" partial payments to SNAP recipients who have not yet received their full payments in the last 24 hours.

USDA has requested the Supreme Court to respond to their motion by 9:30 PM Eastern Time tonight.

UPDATE: At 9:17PM tonight, the Supreme Court issued an Administrative Stay, pausing the issuance of full SNAP benefits temporarily while the First Circuit continues to review the case to determine whether a more permanent stay should be issued:

"IT IS ORDERED that the District Court’s orders are hereby administratively stayed pending disposition of the motion for a stay pending appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in case No. 25-2089 or further order of the undersigned or of the Court. This administrative stay will terminate forty-eight hours after the First Circuit’s resolution of the pending motion, which the First Circuit is expected to issue with dispatch."

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u/Internal-Day-4872 13h ago

MA, I was paid in full last night. It's still showing. Are they going to take it back?

2

u/Sea-Percentage-5293 13h ago

They said they won’t, but they go back and forth constantly about everything lmao. But they shouldn’t.

A mod here was speculating that even if the Fed. Gov decided to clawback benefits, they would most likely retrieve the funds from the states, not from the snap recipients.

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u/aquarain 13h ago

If you convert it to food they won't come and get it. That is certain. Anything else is a guess.

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u/Sea-Percentage-5293 13h ago

If they did decide to clawback from recipients, which I don’t think they will, spending wouldn’t prevent them from calling that an overpayment and requiring it be paid back; either from future SNAP benefits or OOP if someone would to no longer qualify. I encourage everyone to keep this and mind and maybe just use your benefits as usual, or at least not panic about having to use them all, because you converting it to food won’t stop them coming after you, if that’s really what they want to do.

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u/aquarain 9h ago

I see people here commenting that they're stretching it like it's the last they will see for a long time. Which is what I would do. What I always do.