The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has ordered states to stop issuing full food stamp benefits for November, citing a Supreme Court ruling that temporarily paused lower court orders requiring the agency to pay Americans their full assistance. The latest directive means recipients will receive 65% of their November allotments instead. States that fail to comply may face cancellation of federal cost-sharing and financial penalties.
The decision affects around 1 in 8 Americans relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Over the past week, the USDA has issued multiple guidance documents as lawsuits over the agency’s decision not to tap into a contingency fund to pay November benefits have worked their way through federal courts.
Some states, like Pennsylvania and Kansas, had already started issuing full benefits worth nearly $32 million. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said his state will continue to provide 100% of its residents’ benefits on their electronic benefit transfer cards despite the USDA’s demand. North Carolina has paused the issuance of full benefits after receiving the Supreme Court decision.
The SNAP program has been in legal limbo since last month, when officials said recipients would not receive payments for November due to a government shutdown. The latest guidance follows a memorandum from the department on Friday saying it was working to fully fund food stamp benefits for November to comply with federal lower court orders.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/09/politics/usda-pauses-snap-benefits