Second Appeals Court Rules SNAP Benefits Must Be Fully Distributed 

The Trump administration has used the ongoing government shutdown to argue its right to starve families receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). On Sunday, a second federal appeals court ruled the Trump administration must pay out SNAP benefits in their entirety for November. 

According to the New York Times, the ruling came after Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson granted the Trump administration a temporary pause on another ruling by a federal judge ordering full disbursement of SNAP benefits for November. Jackson’s pause was less about helping Trump and more about giving the second appeals court more time to go through the facts of the case and come to a ruling. “For low-income Americans, SNAP is a vital bulwark against hunger and food insecurity,” the appellate court said. “Access to food is, of course, a basic human need.” 

The appellate court also called out the Trump administration for only partially distributing SNAP benefits for November, saying the administration knew the move “would be technically difficult,” yet they “proceeded to do nothing to attempt to solve that problem” in a way that would allow SNAP benefits to be distributed in a timely fashion.

While the government has shut down several times over the last 12 years, this was the first time that SNAP benefits were not distributed in the history of the program. It’s not like the federal government didn’t have the money. In fact, the Trump administration moved hastily to ensure the National Guard and ICE agents received paychecks throughout the shutdown. 

When it comes to SNAP benefits, though, it’s been a completely different story. While Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent initially said the administration wouldn’t appeal an initial ruling that they must distribute SNAP benefits, they’ve taken a far more combative approach in recent weeks. After that initial court order, the Trump administration only partially distributed SNAP benefits, which spurred another lawsuit last week. That suit resulted in a federal judge ordering that SNAP benefits be distributed in full. 

“Without SNAP funding for the month of November, 16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry,” McConnell said. “This should never happen in America.” The Trump administration unsuccessfully appealed that ruling, which resulted in them running to the Supreme Court for help. 

In addition to seeking the block from the Supreme Court, the Trump administration sent out a memo that ordered states to “immediately undo” any efforts made to implement full SNAP benefits and threatened severe financial penalties for any state that didn’t comply with that order. It was a move that came under immense criticism. Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, released a statement criticizing the Trump administration for “demanding that food assistance be taken away from the households that have already received it.”

“They would rather go door to door, taking away people’s food, than do the right thing and fully fund SNAP for November so that struggling veterans, seniors, and children can keep food on the table,” she said.

As the Senate appears to be moving toward a deal to end the government shutdown, SNAP benefits should be distributed one way or another. The government shutdown has exposed how little the GOP and Trump administration care about affordability or even just doing the right thing by America’s most vulnerable population. One in eight Americans relies on some degree of SNAP assistance, with a large share of benefits going to children and senior citizens. 

The federal government had money to terrorize Black and brown communities, unnecessarily deploy the National Guard to several American cities, and even fund Trump’s security detail for his unnecessary appearance during Sunday’s Washington Commanders game. Feeding the needy, though? They just can’t find the dollars. 

While Senate Democrats are not looking good by folding on the shutdown without any real gains in health care affordability, the GOP’s willingness to let families starve and health care premiums skyrocket has basically gift-wrapped the Democrats’ messaging for the 2026 midterms. Whether or not they’re smart enough to use it is an entirely different story. 

SEE ALSO:

Trump Administration Appeals Order To Distribute SNAP Benefits In Full

25 States Sue Trump Administration Over SNAP Benefits