SNAP Benefits Remain Set to Lapse on Nov. 1

UPDATE Oct. 31 at 1:30 p.m. — ABC News’ Peter Charalambous reported that “a federal judge in Boston has ruled that the Trump administration’s attempt to suspend SNAP funding is “unlawful,” but declined to immediately order that the program be funded.”

“U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani reserved judgment about whether to issue a temporary restraining order, instead asking the Trump administration to advise the court whether they would authorize reduced SNAP benefits for November,” Charalambous reported. “She ordered the Trump administration to answer her question about reduced funding for SNAP, the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, by Monday.”

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Reuters’ Bo Erickson and Leah Douglas reported that “nearly 42 million people are set to lose food aid due to the second-longest U.S. government shutdown, as Democrats and Republicans in Congress continue to blame each other for a weeks-long legislative stalemate. Neither party was showing signs of changing its position days before funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, is set to lapse beginning on Saturday.”

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision last week not to draw on an emergency fund to pay for part of November’s SNAP benefits is splitting senators, as Democrats argue the agency is legally required to spend the roughly $5.5 billion in contingency funds to maintain at least a portion of the benefits,” Erickson and Douglas reported. “…Republicans say Senate Democrats are responsible for the shutdown because most have voted 13 times against a stopgap bill to reopen government, called a ‘CR’ or continuing resolution, to force concessions from the Republican majority on healthcare issues.”

“Americans in every state rely on the federal benefits. Of the top five states with the highest per capita SNAP beneficiaries, who represent more than 15% of the population, three are represented by Republican senators: Louisiana, Oklahoma and West Virginia,” Erickson and Douglas reported. “This week, Republican Senator Josh Hawley pushed a standalone bill to fund SNAP in November, which garnered some bipartisan co-sponsors by Tuesday, followed by Senate Democratic leaders announcing their own version. However, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune questioned why the chamber should vote on such a bill after a similar targeted bill to pay federal workers during the shutdown failed last week.”

Judge Skeptical of Government Suspending SNAP Benefits

The Associated Press’ Michael Casey and Geoff Mulvihill reported that “a federal judge in Boston on Thursday seemed skeptical of the Trump’s administration’s argument that SNAP benefits could be suspended for the first time in the food aid program’s history because of the government shutdown.”

“During a hearing over a request by 25 Democratic-led states to keep the funding flowing, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani told lawyers that if the government can’t afford to cover the cost, there’s a process to follow rather than simply suspending all benefits,” Casey and Mulvihill reported. “‘The steps involve finding an equitable way of reducing benefits,’ said Talwani, who was nominated to the court by then-President Barack Obama.”

A federal judge in Boston on Thursday seemed skeptical of the Trump’s administration’s argument that SNAP benefits could be suspended for the first time in the food aid program’s history because of the government shutdown. https://t.co/1IgtTpAf5L

— PBS News (@NewsHour) October 30, 2025

“Talwani … seemed to be leaning toward requiring the government to put billions of dollars in emergency funds toward SNAP. That, she said, is her interpretation of what Congress intended when an agency’s funding runs out,” Casey and Mulvihill reported. “‘If you don’t have money, you tighten your belt,’ she said in court. ‘You are not going to make everyone drop dead because it’s a political game someplace.'”

“Talwani acknowledged that even ordering emergency funds to pay for SNAP might still be painful for some SNAP recipients because it could mean they get less money and that the money they do get could be delayed,” Casey and Mulvihill reported. “‘We are dealing with a reality that absent a 100% win for you, the benefits aren’t going to be there on Nov. 1,’ she told the plaintiffs.”

Grocers, Food Companies Bracing for Sales Dip

Reuters’ Leah Douglas and Jessica DiNapoli reported that “U.S. grocers and food companies ranging from Walmart to Smithfield Foods are bracing for a dip in November sales if federal food aid benefits lapse for the first time due to the ongoing government shutdown.”

“The gap could mean an $8 billion revenue drop for grocers, declining sales for their suppliers and reduced hours for workers as it drives SNAP recipients to reduce spending, trade groups, companies and a union said this week,” Douglas and DiNapoli reported. “‘It’s not only poor people who are on SNAP who are going to be affected. It means the places where they spend the money aren’t going to get that money,’ said Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of health, nutrition and food studies at New York University.”

“The National Grocers Association said on Wednesday that Congress should reopen the government and fund SNAP to avoid instability for customers and retailers, warning of ‘serious consequences for local grocers, their employees, and the food supply chain,'” Douglas and DiNapoli reported. “‘Retailers are going to be in a terrible situation here trying to manage costs and inventory,’ said Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, adding stores could see unsold perishable goods go to waste.”