The US Supreme Court has issued an emergency order allowing the Trump administration to temporarily withhold $4 billion in food assistance funding, a decision that could impact millions of low-income Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The move comes after the White House appealed a lower court’s ruling that required the administration to fully fund SNAP payments by Friday. The program, which supports around 42 million Americans—approximately one in eight citizens—has been caught in political and financial uncertainty amid the ongoing federal government shutdown, the longest in US history.
The Trump administration has argued that due to the shutdown, it can only afford to partially fund the program, which costs nearly $9 billion each month. Friday’s Supreme Court order, issued by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, temporarily freezes the lower court’s ruling for two days, giving the administration more time to pursue its appeal.
The dispute escalated after US District Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island accused the administration of withholding food aid “for political reasons.” In his Thursday ruling, he ordered the government to release full SNAP payments, warning that “16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry” without immediate assistance.
The federal government responded by appealing to the Supreme Court, arguing that the lower court’s directive placed an unrealistic strain on limited federal funds. Before the Supreme Court’s intervention, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers SNAP, said it was preparing to comply with court orders while attempting to identify additional funding sources.
The legal battle over SNAP funding has intensified the human and political toll of the shutdown. Federal workers have gone without pay for over a month, air travel has been disrupted, and negotiations between Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked over budget priorities.
Some states have used emergency reserves to maintain SNAP benefits, which provide roughly $6 per day to eligible recipients through pre-loaded electronic cards accepted at grocery stores. However, several state governments have warned that their resources are running low and that they cannot sustain the payments without federal support.
The Supreme Court’s temporary order means that $4 billion in aid will remain frozen until further hearings are held. The final decision could determine how long the government can continue to provide essential food assistance to millions of households during the shutdown.
As the legal and political standoff continues, the fate of one of America’s most vital social welfare programs remains uncertain—placing pressure on both the administration and Congress to find a swift resolution to the funding crisis.
