Judges Order USDA to Use SNAP Contingency Funds

Two federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Oct. 31 ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to tap roughly $5.3 billion in SNAP contingency funds to keep benefits flowing during the government shutdown, siding with states and cities that sued. The courts gave officials until Nov. 1 to decide whether to pay reduced benefits solely from contingency funds or combine those dollars with other available funds to pay full benefits. Judges warned the contingency fund will not cover SNAP’s full monthly cost of about $8–9 billion, leaving uncertainty over whether recipients will get full November payments and noting that reloading EBT cards could take weeks. The orders affect more than 40 million Americans who rely on SNAP — including about 500,000 South Carolinians, nearly 3 million Floridians, and over 1 million residents of Massachusetts — and prompted some states to seek emergency measures, such as food-bank funding and pleas for governors to declare emergencies. Recipients, local grocers and food banks warned of immediate hardship if payments lapse, and judges have pressed the administration for prompt updates as multiple state and municipal lawsuits proceed.