Catenaa, Monday, November 10, 2025- A federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the Trump administration to resume full or partial payments under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) this week, directing officials to use contingency funds to prevent further harm to millions of Americans affected by the ongoing government shutdown.
US District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ruled that emergency funds must be used immediately to maintain food aid, saying the administration’s delay would cause “irreparable harm.”
The order gives the government until Monday to issue full payments, or Wednesday for partial ones.
The Trump administration argued that using emergency resources to pay SNAP benefits would be “highly disruptive and delayed.”
However, McConnell noted that guidance from Trump’s first term already established that such funds could be deployed during a shutdown.
The judge’s decision follows his earlier ruling requiring the administration to distribute emergency funds “as soon as possible” for missed November 1 payments.
The administration can access more than $5 billion in contingency reserves and additional tariff revenues held by the Agriculture Department, McConnell said.
President Trump acknowledged the ruling and said he had instructed government lawyers to find a legal route to restore the payments. “If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will be my honor to provide the funding,” he posted online.
McConnell ordered federal officials to update the court by noon Monday on their plan to comply.
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to release emergency funds and restore food aid payments amid the ongoing government shutdown.
