Appeals court leaves in place order requiring Trump administration to pay out full SNAP benefits

Washington — A federal appeals court on Friday left in place a lower court decision that requires the Trump administration to swiftly provide full federal food benefits to roughly 42 million Americans by tapping into two pots of money.

The move from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit means the U.S. Department of Agriculture will have to take steps, for now, to cover in-full payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by the end of the day, absent 11th-hour emergency relief from the Supreme Court.

The 1st Circuit denied the administration’s request for a temporary, administrative stay, and said in its brief order that it is still considering its bid for longer relief while it considers the appeal.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X the administration will ask the Supreme Court to stay the lower court judge’s ruling, which she called “judicial activism at its worst.”

A USDA official notified states earlier Friday that it was working to comply with the district court’s order to provide in-full the food benefits to Americans enrolled in SNAP for November.