The U.S. Division of Agriculture stated states that issued full November SNAP advantages to recipients following a courtroom resolution ought to “instantly undo” the distributions and that failure to conform may consequence within the cancellation of future federal funds.
“To the extent States despatched full SNAP cost recordsdata for November 2025, this was unauthorized. Accordingly, States should instantly undo any steps taken to difficulty full SNAP advantages for November 2025,” Patrick A. Penn, the deputy undersecretary for meals, vitamin and shopper companies, wrote Saturday concerning the Supplemental Diet Help Program, or SNAP.
“Failure to adjust to this memorandum could end in USDA taking varied actions, together with cancellation of the Federal share of State administrative prices and holding States answerable for any overissuances that consequence from the noncompliance,” he wrote.
The most recent memo was a reversal of earlier steering the USDA had issued earlier than the Supreme Court docket on Friday paused the distribution of full SNAP advantages, sending the case again to a decrease courtroom.
The sooner memo, issued Friday, stated that the related companies within the Trump administration would “full the processes essential to make funds obtainable to help your subsequent transmittal of full issuance recordsdata to your EBT processor.”
Saturday’s memo comes amid a fast-moving authorized battle over whether or not the federal authorities, which stays shut down, ought to proceed to disburse SNAP advantages — also referred to as meals stamps — to the greater than 40 million Individuals who often obtain them.
SNAP advantages have been funded for October, the primary month of the shutdown, however on the finish of the month, the USDA posted a message on its web site informing Individuals that SNAP advantages wouldn’t be disbursed in November, telling them that “the nicely has run dry” and blaming Democrats for the lapse.
Two separate lawsuits have been filed in Rhode Island and Massachusetts forward of Nov. 1 searching for to pressure the federal authorities to launch the funds.
In response to one of many lawsuits, the USDA allowed SNAP advantages to be partially launched. Then, final week, a federal decide ordered the Trump administration to pay SNAP advantages in full for November.
States started to disburse the funds as shortly as potential final week. However on Friday, the Supreme Court docket allowed the Trump administration to briefly halt SNAP funds for November.
The USDA steering on Saturday didn’t clarify to states how they need to claw again funding that will have already gone out to SNAP recipients.
On Sunday, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts stated that SNAP recipients in her state ought to proceed to spend their funds and threatened to sue the Trump administration.
“If President Trump desires to penalize states for stopping Individuals from going hungry, we are going to see him in courtroom. Massachusetts residents with funds on their playing cards ought to proceed to spend it on meals. These funds have been processed in accordance with steering we acquired from the Trump Administration and a decrease courtroom order, they usually have been processed earlier than the Supreme Court docket order on Friday evening,” Healey stated in a press release.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin issued a press release responding to the USDA’s request to undo SNAP disbursements, merely saying: “No.”
“Our administration is actively in courtroom combating in opposition to the Trump Administration’s efforts to yank meals help away from Wisconsin’s youngsters, households, and seniors, and we’re anticipating the courtroom to resolve this difficulty,” he added.
