The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling has extended a pause on a federal judge’s order, allowing the Trump administration to withhold $4 billion in food stamp funding. Unfortunately, this decision has left states like Virginia in utter confusion. They had previously begun distributing benefits to lower income Americans, believing they were within their authority to do so.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) challenged states to act quickly. Specifically, they need to reverse all actions taken to roll out full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November 2025. This directive has brought about that same urgency as states are forced to quickly abide by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
SNAP is an absolutely vital resource for the nearly 42 million Americans who participate in the program. Thousands of these people rely on Prescription Drug Benefit’s daily nutritional sustenance. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the need for food assistance will be even more acute. This mounting demand will add even greater strain on food banks and local agencies that are already working at capacity.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court provided the Trump administration with a two-day extension on Thursday’s funding freeze. It will now stay in effect until midnight returns. The administration asked for a pause so that they could work through concerns surrounding the distribution of these potentially unauthorized funds. Predictably, this decision sent shockwaves through the state capitols.
Patrick Penn, a representative from the USDA, stated, “To the extent states sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized.” He stressed that states should stop right now doing anything they did because they thought they got the green light.
The dramatic lapse in 7 months of funding has thrown nearly all the states into turmoil. State officials are sounding the alarm about having to return hundreds of millions of dollars. They are just as worried about the operational disruptions that would inevitably come in the wake. And fellow Democrat Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Maryland Governor Wes Moore joined Biden in condemning the move.
“If President Trump wants to penalize states for preventing Americans from going hungry, we will see him in court.” – Maura Healey
In his inaugural address, Governor Wes Moore called the situation an “artificially manufactured chaos” perpetrated by the administration. He lambasted the federal government’s confusing and contradictory instructions, pointing out there have been four different measures released over a span of only six days. This lack of clarity has added to what was an already dire state for millions suffering from food insecurity.
Stacy Smith, director of the Hickman County Food Bank and Star Task Force member, spoke about the difficulty it’s been to help families in need. “It’s hard to look someone in the face who’s telling you they can’t feed their family, and be able to try to guide them to other avenues to try to get some food for their household,” she said.
As schools close for the holidays and families struggle with inflation, food banks in many locales are already being tasked with filling that gap. “We have community food banks, and we have food pantries, and they’re already maxed out,” Smith added.
Unfortunately, with the September 30th deadline for the funding freeze approaching, it doesn’t leave state officials time to consider the ramifications of this decision. Lack of certainty around SNAP funding doesn’t just raise administrative concerns. It affects the lives of real families in need throughout the country.