A federal court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from requiring states to retract Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits already issued to recipients. The order comes after New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with 24 other attorneys general and governors, filed an emergency motion for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). The legal action followed a late-night memo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) instructing states to “immediately undo” the release of SNAP benefits.
Attorney General James stated, “The Trump administration has been relentless in its effort to keep food off of Americans’ plates, but once again a court has stepped in to stop them. This order ensures that families can keep the food assistance they need and that states won’t be punished for doing their jobs. New Yorkers should not hesitate to use their rightful SNAP benefits as their cards are reloaded. If you have your benefits, use them. My office will deal with the federal government in court.”
The dispute began when Attorney General James and her counterparts sued the federal government on October 28 over withholding November SNAP benefits during a government shutdown. A federal court ruled on October 31 that USDA must use contingency funds to partially fund these benefits. On November 6, another judge ordered USDA to release full benefits immediately, prompting USDA’s Friday notice that full funding would soon be available.
States including New York started issuing full November SNAP benefits based on this guidance. However, later that evening, the administration appealed previous rulings and obtained a temporary administrative stay from the Supreme Court after several states had already processed benefit data.
On Saturday night, November 8, USDA reversed its earlier communication by calling any state’s issuance of full benefits “unauthorized.” States were told to reverse these actions or risk losing basic administrative funding required by law.
The following day, November 9, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied the administration’s request for a stay pending appeal—leaving intact lower court orders mandating USDA distribute full SNAP benefits.
On Monday, November 10, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts partially granted the coalition’s TRO request and scheduled a hearing later in the day regarding further proceedings.
New Yorkers began seeing their November SNAP funds appear on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards as of Sunday night. These funds remain valid for normal use at participating retailers; those who encounter problems using EBT cards are advised by Attorney General James’s office to remind retailers of legal obligations and report issues directly to her office.
In their motion, Attorney General James and allied officials argued that four conflicting directives from USDA within five days created confusion among states and jeopardized food assistance access for millions nationwide. The shifting instructions forced state agencies into operational difficulties—including repeated system changes—and led to widespread uncertainty among recipients.
They also claimed that USDA’s latest directive was arbitrary and violated federal administrative law by reversing prior positions without explanation or regard for existing legal requirements or logistical realities facing state agencies.
Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina Oregon Rhode Island Vermont Washington Wisconsin District of Columbia joined New York in filing this motion along with governors from Kansas Kentucky Pennsylvania.
