U.S. Supreme Court blocks a lower court ruling that directed President Trump’s administration to restore food aid for 42 million Americans during the shutdown.
U.S. Supreme Court on Friday November 7, 2025, temporarily blocked an order that would have required President Donald Trump’s administration to immediately restore federal food assistance halted during the ongoing government shutdown.
The high court’s decision leaves millions of low-income Americans uncertain about whether they will receive their next round of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which provide monthly food aid to more than 42 million people nationwide.
Earlier in the week, a federal district court had ruled that the Trump administration must draw from emergency reserves to fully fund the program through November. The order was meant to ensure that states could continue issuing benefits despite the funding lapse caused by Congress’s failure to pass a new budget by September 30.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an administrative stay — a procedural pause — granting the Supreme Court more time to review the administration’s appeal of the lower court’s ruling.
In its emergency filing Friday morning, the Department of Justice argued that the order violated the separation of powers by allowing the judiciary to override Congress’s authority over federal spending.
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“The core power of Congress is that of the purse, while the Executive is tasked with allocating limited resources across competing priorities,” the DOJ stated in its brief.
The Justice Department further criticized the lower court, claiming it had “appointed itself the trustee” of federal funds, effectively determining which programs should receive money during the shutdown.
The partial government shutdown, now entering its sixth week, has disrupted services across multiple agencies, from food safety inspections to veterans’ benefits. Federal workers and families who rely on SNAP have expressed growing anxiety as reserves run thin in many states.
Democratic officials swiftly condemned the Supreme Court’s intervention and the Trump administration’s refusal to reinstate funding.
“It’s disgraceful that the administration chose to go to court instead of fulfilling its responsibility to the American people,” New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote on X.
While the stay is temporary, it signals that the justices will likely take up the broader constitutional question of whether the executive branch can be compelled to fund programs without congressional authorization.