Emily Hallas

Washington Examiner

The Trump administration over the weekend ordered states to “undo” certain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments recently sent out to beneficiaries. 

The Department of Agriculture issued the Saturday memo in response to a Supreme Court ruling released Friday evening that stayed a lower court’s ruling ordering the Trump administration to deliver full SNAP payments on hold while the matter plays out in an appeals court. 

“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized. Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025,” the USDA memo reads. 

The legal battle over SNAP, a federal welfare program, sparked last month when the government shut down. 

The shutdown affected SNAP payments sent out monthly to millions of beneficiaries, leading to a slew of Democratic-led states joining lawsuits challenging the Trump administration for not issuing full welfare payments.

 On Oct. 31, U.S. District Judge John McConnell ordered the USDA to deliver SNAP payments by tapping into federal emergency funding. 

The Trump administration agreed to tap into one of the USDA’s emergency reserves, but said doing so would allow the government to send out only half-payments to beneficiaries for their November food stamps, even after fully depleting the fund.

McConnell said the plan for partial payments was unacceptable. On Thursday, the Rhode Island judge ordered the USDA to tap into other emergency funding to make up the difference, leading the federal agency to announce it was working to deliver full SNAP payments for November in compliance with the directive. 

Still, the Trump administration appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit.

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Friday evening temporarily blocked the McConnells’ ruling as the case plays out in the appeals court. 

After Jackson’s decision, the USDA told states it would now consider any payments made last week to be “unauthorized.”

“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized,” Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary of agriculture, wrote in his Saturday memo to state SNAP directors, asking states to issue only partial payments, or around 65% of the typical welfare payment.

States could face penalties for paying benefits

“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized,” Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary of Agriculture, wrote to state SNAP directors. “Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025.”

Penn warned that states could face penalties if they did not comply. It was unclear if the directive applies to states that used their own funds to keep the program alive or to ones relying on federal money entirely. The Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a filing in federal court on Sunday, the agency said states moved too quickly and erroneously released full money SNAP Benefits after last week’s rulings.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a Republican, on Sunday called the directive “shocking” if it applies to states, like hers, that used their own money to prop up the program.

“It’s one thing if the federal government is going to continue its level of appeal through the courts to say, no, this can’t be done,” Murkowski said. “But when you are telling the states that have said this is a significant enough issue in our state, we’re going to find resources, backfill or front load, whatever term you want, to help our people, th