The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it is moving to fully fund November SNAP benefits, following a federal court order issued this week.
In a letter to state agencies, officials said they are completing the steps needed to make the funds available, and states will soon be able to send full benefit files to EBT processors, which load SNAP money onto benefit cards.
On Friday, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration's emergency appeal to temporarily block a court order to fully fund SNAP food aid payments amid the government shutdown.
A judge had given the Republican administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But the administration asked the appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month.
On Friday afternoon, in Arizona, the Department of Economic Security told ABC15 that "USDA approved the issuance of full November 2023 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) also known as Nutrition Assistance (NA) benefits. SNAP clients could see benefits issued to the EBT cards as early as November 7, 2025."
DES said they would resume their regular issuance schedule on November 8.
Governor Katie Hobbs responded to DES' approved transmission of benefit payments. Read her statement below:
“It is shameful that the Trump administration delayed lifesaving food assistance payments to Arizonans for weeks,” said Governor Hobbs. “The chaos and confusion created by the administration sent over 800,000 Arizonans and their families scrambling to figure out where their next meal was coming from. No Arizonan should be forced to go without food on their table because they’re being used by Washington, DC, politicians as leverage in their negotiations.
It shouldn’t take a court order for politicians in Washington, DC to do the right thing for Arizona families, but I am glad that this much-needed relief will be delivered to Arizonans and I look forward to USDA quickly releasing these critical funds. I’m also thankful for the public servants at the Department of Economic Security who have been working tirelessly to cut through the chaos of the federal government and ensure our families see their SNAP benefits paid in full. Now, it’s time for President Trump to learn a lesson from what I’ve done in Arizona: reach across the aisle, negotiate a deal, and pass a budget that lowers costs, invests in working people, and protects the critical services that the people of Arizona rely on. It’s about time we end the chaos in Washington, DC and focus on delivering for the American people.”
While the USDA issued guidance to states saying it's working to pay full November SNAP benefits. The Trump Administration filed an appeal asking a federal court to block that payment.
A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to restore full benefits, calling the earlier plan for partial payments “arbitrary and capricious.” The administration has appealed, but is taking steps to comply while the case moves forward.
RELATED STORY | Trump administration appeals order to fully fund SNAP benefits for November
SNAP funding lapsed due to the government shutdown, which has now stretched on for more than a month.
States and nonprofits sued to require the federal government to use contingency funds to make sure SNAP funds are paid out. The administration initially argued that contingency funds were not enough to cover all SNAP benefits. But the judge ruled the government must use all legally available reserve funds within USDA to ensure that full payments go out.
