Federal judge blocks SNAP benefits suspension, orders USDA to use reserve funds News
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Federal judge blocks SNAP benefits suspension, orders USDA to use reserve funds

A US federal judge ruled Friday that the US Department of Agriculture must use previously appropriated contingency funds to continue food stamp benefits, blocking the agency’s plan to suspend payments to 41 million people starting November 1.

Judge Indira Talwani of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts found that USDA’s interpretation of federal law was “erroneous” when the agency claimed it couldn’t access a $6 billion reserve fund Congress appropriated in 2024 to remain available through September 2026.

The USDA announced Oct. 24 it would suspend all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for November because Congress hasn’t passed new appropriations for fiscal year 2026, which began Oct. 1. The program costs approximately $8.6 billion monthly.

Talwani ruled the contingency reserve “must be deployed to fund SNAP benefits” and that federal law requires the agency to reduce benefits if funds are insufficient, not suspend the program entirely.

She ordered the USDA to report by Monday whether it will authorize at least reduced benefits for November. Massachusetts and other plaintiff states argued the suspension would cause fiscal and operational harm to state agencies.

This would mark the first suspension in the program’s 60-year history. Some 42 million people across the US receive SNAP benefits, according to USDA data.

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