Two U.S. federal judges have ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration cannot suspend food aid for millions of Americans during the ongoing government shutdown, ordering the government to use contingency funds to pay for the benefits.
The rulings, delivered on Friday by judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, came in response to lawsuits seeking to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from halting payments under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) commonly known as food stamps.
Both judges instructed the administration to report back on Monday with plans to comply with the rulings. It was, however, unclear whether the decisions would ensure that benefits are paid on 1 November.
The USDA had previously said it lacked sufficient funds to pay the $8.5 to $9 billion in monthly SNAP benefits that support around 42 million low-income Americans, claiming it could not legally issue payments without congressional approval of a new spending bill to end the shutdown that began on 1 October.
But the courts disagreed.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence said the administration’s refusal to draw from $5.25 billion in contingency funds was “arbitrary,” and warned that families could face immediate hardship.
“There is no doubt and it is beyond argument that irreparable harm will begin to occur if it hasn’t already occurred in the terror it has caused some people about the availability of funding for food for their family,” McConnell stated. He ordered the USDA to distribute the emergency money “as soon as possible,” and to explore whether an additional $23 billion from a separate fund could also be used.
Minutes earlier, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston reached a similar conclusion in a separate case brought by 25 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia. She ruled that the administration’s suspension of SNAP benefits was based on “the erroneous conclusion” that contingency funds could not be used during the shutdown.
Both judges were appointed by former President Barack Obama.
The USDA’s original shutdown plan, issued last month, had stated that contingency funds could sustain SNAP benefits temporarily. However, the agency later updated its website to declare that “the well has run dry,” prompting the lawsuits.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins rejected the court findings and defended the administration’s stance, saying Democrats’ claim that money was available for November benefits was a “lie.”
“It is a contingency fund that can only flow if the underlying appropriation is approved,” Rollins told reporters on Capitol Hill, where she appeared alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Justice Department lawyer Jason Altabet also warned that partial payments could prove technically difficult due to outdated state systems, calling the potential scenario “catastrophic.”
Despite such warnings, both McConnell and Talwani said the administration had sufficient discretion to fund SNAP fully by drawing from available resources.
President Trump later wrote on social media that his government was seeking legal clarity on how to proceed. “If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding,” he stated.
The rulings come amid rising political tension in Washington, as Democrats and Republicans continue to trade blame for the prolonged shutdown that has disrupted key government services and placed food aid for millions at risk.
