Supreme Court lets administration pause $4bn in food aid, leaving millions waiting
As-salamu alaykum. Forty-two million people may face delays in food assistance after the US Supreme Court permitted the administration to temporarily withhold about $4bn in federal aid for November, affecting SNAP payments.
By Reuters
The Court’s temporary stay gives a lower court extra time to consider a request to only partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called SNAP. SNAP helps households with income under 130% of the federal poverty line; for 2026 the maximum monthly amount is reported as $298 for one person and $546 for two.
A federal judge in Rhode Island had ordered the government to release full funding immediately, but the Supreme Court’s order pauses that decision until two days after the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rules on the matter. SNAP usually costs roughly $8.5bn–$9bn per month.
The district judge said the administration’s move looked politically motivated and directed the USDA to tap a separate child nutrition fund to cover the shortfall. The administration had proposed roughly $4.65bn in emergency funding, about half of what would be needed for full benefits, arguing that the judge’s order would create more chaos during the government shutdown.
Officials and states have been left unclear about whether full payments will go out after some agencies began preparing to distribute them while appeals were pending. SNAP benefits lapsed at the start of November for the first time in the program’s long history, and many families have turned to food banks or cut other essentials to cope.
Pray for those struggling and for a quick, fair resolution so families can be secure. The appeals court will hear the next arguments soon, and millions are waiting to learn if full benefits will resume.
https://www.aljazeera.com/econ