The Agriculture Department warns of nationwide chaos if reserves are tapped.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has defended its decision not to use a contingency fund for November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , which is facing disruption due to the federal government shutdown, warning that using the reserve “would be both legally dubious and practically disastrous.
” Dozens of states are suing the department, which oversees SNAP food stamps, demanding the estimated $5 to $6 billion contingency fund be used when funds run dry in November. More than 40 million Americans use SNAP to pay for groceries. In a court filing on Wednesday, the department argued the money is needed for emergencies, such as natural disasters, and concluded, “wiping out the long-term emergency fund, or depleting the Child Nutrition Programs, would be both legally dubious and practically disastrous. The limited irreparable harm to the States themselves cannot support emergency sweeping relief, and any such order would lead to a chaotic, and still insufficient, disbursement of SNAP benefits.” Signage showing that USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is accepted, is displayed at Wild Onion Market, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Chicago. The government estimated SNAP requires $9.2 billion in November, though other estimates put the figure at about $8 billion, monthly, far exceeding the reserve. In the filing, the government said releasing funds that would not cover the full amount is unprecedented and would cause widespread issues. “Any attempt to calculate and implement a nationwide reduction would long delay this round of benefits, any round of benefits restoring beneficiaries to the full amount for November, and a future round of benefits returning to the standard calculation,” it said. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and other states are seeking an injunction. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump admin instructs DOJ to monitor elections in California and New JerseyThis is additional taxonomy that helps us with analytics
Read more »
SNAP Update: Trump Admin Faces Lawsuit from 25 States Over Emergency FundsThe lawsuit has been filed just days before November 1 SNAP payments were scheduled to go out.
Read more »
Trump admin reinstalls Confederate general's statue toppled during 2020 riotsFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
Judge extends order blocking Trump admin from firing federal workersA federal judge indefinitely halted the Trump administration's ability to fire federal workers during the government shutdown on Tuesday.
Read more »
Senate Dem Dick Durbin accuses Trump admin of 'terrorizing people in their homes'Fox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
Judge extends order blocking Trump admin from firing federal workersA federal judge indefinitely halted the Trump administration's ability to fire federal workers during the government shutdown on Tuesday.
Read more »