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U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is demanding that states “undo” full SNAP food benefits paid out under judges’ orders over the past week, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has stayed those rulings — marking the latest swing in a seesawing legal battle over the anti-hunger program used by 42 million Americans.
The demand from the U.S. Department of Agriculture came as more than two dozen states warned of “catastrophic operational disruptions” if the Trump administration does not reimburse them for those Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits they authorized before the Supreme Court’s stay.
Non-profits and Democratic attorneys general sued to force the Trump administration to maintain the program in November.
They recently won the favourable court rulings, leading to the swift release of benefits to millions of people in several states.
But even before it won a stay on those rulings through an appeal to the Supreme Court on Friday night, the Trump administration balked at reimbursing states for the initial round of SNAP payments.
Wisconsin, for example, loaded benefits onto cards for 700,000 residents, but after the U.S. Treasury froze its reimbursements to the state, it anticipates running out of money by Monday, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration warned in a lengthy statement on Sunday.
The lack of money could leave vendors unpaid and trigger escalating legal claims, the states warned.
“States could face demands to return hundreds of millions of dollars in the aggregate,” the filing at the First Circuit Court of Appeals says.
That situation “would risk catastrophic operational disruptions for the States, with a consequent cascade of harms for their residents,” the filing concludes.
That filing arrived as the Department of Agriculture on Saturday told states it would now consider any payments that were made to be “unauthorized.”
“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized,” Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary of agriculture, wrote to state SNAP directors.
“Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025.”
Evers issued a quick response to the Trump administration’s demand. “No,” the governor said in a statement.
“Pursuant to and consistent with an active court order, Wisconsin legally loaded benefits to cards, ensuring nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites, including nearly 270,000 kids, had access to basic food and groceries,” the governor said.
“After we did so, the Trump administration assured Wisconsin and other states that they were actively working to implement full SNAP benefits for November and would ‘complete the processes necessary to make funds available.’ They have failed to do so to date.”
