WASHINGTON — Two federal judges on Friday ordered the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds, directing officials to use emergency reserves to keep the nation’s largest anti hunger program running amid a prolonged government shutdown.
The rulings came after multiple states filed lawsuits seeking to force the federal government to disburse food aid on time. The decision offers temporary relief to millions of low income Americans who rely on SNAP commonly known as food stamps to feed their families.
“The federal government has a continuing obligation to ensure food security for its citizens,” US District Judge Marcia Blake wrote in her opinion. “Administrative delays cannot justify leaving households without access to food assistance.”
The legal battle stems from the third week of a partial government shutdown that froze funding for several federal programs, including SNAP.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers SNAP, had warned states that payments for the next month could be delayed if Congress failed to pass a spending bill.
Under federal law, SNAP benefits are typically issued at the beginning of each month through state agencies. However, the shutdown halted the flow of new appropriations, leaving millions in uncertainty about whether benefits would continue.
Attorneys general from at least nine states, including New York, California, and Illinois, sued the Trump administration earlier this week.
They argued that the USDA had sufficient contingency funds to cover at least partial payments and accused the administration of “using the shutdown as leverage at the expense of hungry Americans.”
Judge Blake, along with Judge Terrence McMillan in a separate Maryland case, found that the administration could draw from the Commodity Credit Corporation a government owned entity with borrowing authority to temporarily sustain SNAP operations.
Policy experts said the dual rulings underscored the judiciary’s growing role in mitigating the human toll of political impasses.
“This is an unusual but necessary judicial intervention,” said Dr. Laura Mendel, a food policy analyst at Georgetown University. “When Congress and the White House deadlock, it’s often the courts that ensure essential programs don’t collapse.
Food assistance is a lifeline for one in eight Americans you can’t just pause it.” Others warned that while the rulings provide short term relief, they may not solve the underlying funding crisis.
“Backup funds can keep things running for a few weeks, but they’re not a substitute for a functioning government,” said James O’Hara, a former USDA budget official. “If the shutdown continues much longer, even those reserves will run dry.”
SNAP serves more than 40 million people nationwide, according to the USDA. Monthly benefits average about $180 per person, with total annual spending exceeding $100 billion.
During the 2018 to 2019 government shutdown, the longest in US history, USDA managed to pay February benefits early by invoking a special provision in the Continuing Appropriations Act.
However, that move sparked logistical confusion and strained state systems tasked with managing electronic benefit transfers.
A 2024 analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that a one month delay in SNAP payments could lead to a 15 percent increase in food insecurity rates among households with children.
“This program doesn’t just feed people it stabilizes communities,” said Dr. Mendel. “Interruptions ripple through local economies, especially grocery stores and farmers’ markets that depend on SNAP purchases.”
In Baltimore, 29 year old single mother Jasmine Torres said she had been watching the news closely, worried that her monthly benefits might not arrive.
“When I heard about the shutdown, I panicked,” Torres said. “I’ve got three kids, and SNAP is what keeps our fridge full. Knowing the judges made this ruling it feels like we can breathe again, at least for now.”
In rural Missouri, store owner Richard Kline said many of his customers rely on SNAP, and the delay had already begun to affect sales.
“When people don’t have benefits, they stop shopping. It’s that simple,” Kline said. “We’re not talking about luxury items it’s milk, bread, baby formula. These rulings might save small stores like mine from shutting down, too.”
Some state officials expressed cautious optimism but warned that logistical hurdles remain. “We’re grateful the court recognized the urgency,” said Illinois Department of Human Services Director Angela Murphy.
“But implementing these emergency disbursements still requires coordination with federal systems that are operating with skeleton staff.”
Legal experts expect the administration to comply with the rulings, though appeals could follow. The White House has not commented publicly on the decisions, and USDA officials have not clarified how soon funds will be distributed to state agencies.
If the shutdown continues, states could face further uncertainty in upcoming benefit cycles. Congress remains divided over budget negotiations, with neither party signaling an imminent breakthrough.
“The rulings buy time, but only time,” said O’Hara. “SNAP is funded monthly, not annually. Unless lawmakers reopen the government, we’ll be right back in court by the end of next month.”
Some advocacy groups are urging Congress to consider automatic funding mechanisms for essential programs like SNAP to prevent future disruptions.
“Food should never be a bargaining chip,” said Karen Delaney, executive director of the nonprofit Feed America Now. “We need structural reform so that the poorest Americans aren’t the first victims of political dysfunction.”
As the government shutdown stretches on, the judiciary’s intervention in the SNAP dispute has provided temporary stability for millions of families teetering on the edge of hunger. But experts caution that the reprieve is fragile, dependent on political decisions far beyond the courtroom.
For now, food assistance will continue at least for a few more weeks as the Trump administration works under court order to keep the nation’s anti hunger safety net intact.