The Trump administration is telling states not to pay full November food stamp benefits, revising its previous guidance after winning a temporary victory at the Supreme Court on Friday.
USDA’s latest memo, sent Saturday to state directors of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, instructed states to deliver just 65 percent of benefits during the government shutdown and required those who already sent full payments to claw back that money.
“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized. Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025,” the memo notes.
The department threatened to take various actions if states don’t comply, including cancelling federal funds that go toward administrative costs for the program or holding states liable for “overissuances.”
The Saturday memo is the latest in a string of moves from the Trump administration that has altered federal guidance on SNAP on a near daily basis, first directing states to pay partial benefits, then saying USDA would comply with full benefits, then filing an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson agreed late Friday to lift a deadline imposed by a Rhode Island judge, who ordered officials to tap into a separate USDA nutrition account to deliver full SNAP payments this month.
Nearly 42 million Americans rely on the anti-hunger program, which went dark for the first time on Nov. 1 during the record-breaking shutdown.
Several states have rushed to redirect their own funds to support food banks and benefits for families, but the back-and-forth in court has caused significant confusion across the country. Before Jackson granted an administrative stay, states including Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania had announced they had begun the process of issuing full benefits.
“[Officials have] not sent … any centralized or coherent guidance regarding how to navigate these unprecedented circumstances and what steps USDA will take to resolve the chaos created by its actions,” states wrote in a filing submitted to a Massachusetts judge Saturday in a separate lawsuit over SNAP.
