Trump Administration Orders States to Cut Full SNAP Benefits

This late-night directive from the Trump administration adds to the ongoing chaos surrounding the anti-hunger program that benefits more than 42 million Americans.

The memo, signed by Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services at the Department of Agriculture, warns states that the administration has not approved the full SNAP benefit payments for November.

“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized,” according to the memo. State program administrators were directed to distribute 65% partial payments of SNAP benefits for the month instead, the memo said.

States must also “immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025,” the memo said. Failure to comply could result in the USDA cancelling the federal share of administration costs or holding states financially liable for “any overissuances that result from the noncompliance.”

It is unclear how the USDA expects states to recover any unauthorized SNAP payments.

This memo comes as some states are struggling to comply with a court ruling on Thursday, when a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay full SNAP benefits for November by Friday. The court rejected the administration's plan to partially fund the food stamp program amid the US government shutdown.

The USDA later told states that it would begin distributing full SNAP benefits to comply with the order while the Trump administration appealed the ruling.

The Associated Press reported late Friday that more than half a dozen states "confirmed that some SNAP beneficiaries were issued full November payments as early as Friday."

However, on Friday, the Supreme Court stayed that order, paving the way for the Trump administration or any plaintiffs to challenge the decision.

The Trump administration previously stated that it would not use the $4.65 billion contingency fund for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in November. The total cost of full SNAP benefits for this month is approximately $8 billion.

Like other federal programs, this program currently has no funding allocated because Congress failed to pass a spending bill. This failure led to the US government shutdown on October 1.

Previous administrations have continued to pay SNAP benefits during previous shutdowns.