Boston/Washington – Two federal courts ruled almost simultaneously on Friday that the Trump administration must continue payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown. Judges Indira Talwani (U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts) and Beryl Howell (U.S. District Court, District of Columbia) stated in their orders that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is obligated to access existing emergency funds to ensure the provision of food for millions of Americans. In the reasoning of the Boston court (Case No. 25-CV-1176-TALWANI), it is stated that Congress explicitly provided that the agency may draw on reserve funds ("contingency funds") in budget emergencies to prevent interruptions in basic services. A suspension of benefits is therefore unlawful and violates the administrative duty to "use existing statutory resources to protect the livelihood of the needy."
The decision came less than 24 hours before the USDA was set to suspend payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), citing a lack of funds due to the shutdown. The program currently reaches around 42 to 44 million people, about one in eight U.S. residents. Judge Howell in Washington (Case No. 25-CV-1892-HOWELL) additionally ordered the USDA to "immediately take measures to resume payments." Even a brief interruption of support, the court said, could have "irreversible consequences" for low-income households. Several states had announced that they would provide their own funds in an emergency to keep the programs temporarily running. With the rulings, the federal government is now required to continue reloading the existing EBT cards of recipients – a process that, according to experts, may take one to two weeks.
The decisions are seen as a significant legal setback for the White House. The Department of Justice said it is reviewing whether to appeal. Until then, the USDA must continue distributing SNAP benefits.
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