A federal judge in Boston signalled Thursday that she may intervene in a high-stakes dispute over the Trump administration’s decision not to use billions of dollars in emergency funds to cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November — a move that could help ensure families don’t go hungry this holiday season.
“Right now, Congress has put money in an emergency fund for an emergency, and it’s hard for me to understand how this isn’t an emergency when there’s no money and a lot of people are needing their SNAP benefits,” U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said near the end of a hearing, referring to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps.
Though the judge’s options vary, one possibility is that she issues an emergency order that essentially compels the administration to tap into the emergency funds.
“We’re dealing with the reality that … the benefits aren’t going to be there on November 1,” she said.
READ: Millions in the US could lose food aid and go hungry this holiday season (
“It does seem to me really clear what Congress was trying to do,” Talwani said. “What Congress was trying to do is protect the American people.”
Last week, USDA said that it was unable to use the rainy-day fund, reversing course from earlier agency guidance that said such a move was possible
“The idea that we’re going to do the absolutely most drastic thing, which is that there’s not just less money but no money, seems the farthest thing from” what Congress intended, she said.
“We’re not going to make everyone drop dead” from hunger, Talwani added.
In the program’s decades-long history, a government shutdown has never prevented it from distributing SNAP funds to states, which administer the benefits, though the program was at risk during the 2018-2019 impasse.
READ: Government shutdown threatens food assistance for nearly 42 million Americans (
While October benefits were largely secured because states had received prior funding, November benefits are in jeopardy. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has indicated it will not use its contingency funds to cover SNAP payments if Congress fails to restore appropriations.
As a result, at least 25 states have warned that benefits may be delayed, reduced, or suspended entirely. This puts vulnerable populations, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities, at serious risk of food insecurity. Food banks and nonprofits are already experiencing heightened demand as families prepare for possible interruptions.
The shutdown illustrates the real-world consequences of congressional gridlock, showing how political stalemates can directly threaten essential public assistance programs and the well-being of millions of Americans.
With millions of Americans relying on SNAP, delays or suspensions of benefits could create immediate hardship for vulnerable populations, including children, seniors, and those with disabilities. Historically, SNAP has remained operational during shutdowns, but the current impasse and the USDA’s reversal on contingency funds put longstanding practices at risk.