A federal judge in Rhode Island has temporarily ordered the Trump administration to continue funding SNAP benefits, the Federally funded supplemental nutrition assistance program.
“The court is orally ordering at this time that USDA must distribute the contingency money in a timely manner, or as soon as possible, for the November 1 payments to be made,” said U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr.
After an hour-long emergency hearing, Judge McConnell ruled that the suspension of SNAP funding is arbitrary and will likely cause irreparable harm, citing the “terror” felt by Americans struggling to meet their basic nutritional needs.
“There is no doubt, and it is beyond dispute, that irreparable harm will begin to occur – if it has not already occurred – in the terror that has been caused to some people by the availability of funds for food for their family,” he said.
The decision comes one day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the SNAP program, froze SNAP payments due to the ongoing government shutdown. SNAP typically requires $8.6 billion in funding each month to provide benefits to 41 million Americans and administer the program.
Despite the ruling, it is not immediately clear how the judge’s decision will be implemented and whether it will take effect in time to help millions of Americans who rely on the funding.
Judge McConnell ordered the Trump administration to continue paying for the program using emergency funds and to notify the court by Monday how SNAP will be funded.
House Speaker Mike Johnson joins Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at a press conference to discuss SNAP food aid benefits on Day 31 of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 31, 2025.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
In ruling that stopping SNAP funding violated the Administrative Procedure Act because the funding decision was arbitrary and capricious, Judge McConnell said, “There has been no explanation, legitimate or otherwise, consistent with the APA as to why contingency funds should not be used.”
A coalition of local governments, nonprofits, small businesses and workers’ rights organizations filed a lawsuit Thursday to challenge the pause in funding, arguing that the Trump administration has “unnecessarily plunged SNAP into a crisis” by suspending benefits starting Friday, despite having emergency funds that could be tapped.
“Americans will be unable to feed their families, food pantries will be overwhelmed, organizations will be forced to divert resources from essential programs to serve those who need assistance, and small businesses will lose substantial revenue that is critical to maintaining their workforce and relationships with suppliers,” they wrote in their lawsuit.
The administration has argued that the lack of funding will cause irreparable harm and violates a federal law that prohibits arbitrary government actions.
The ruling came as a federal judge in Boston, in a separate case, ruled that the Trump administration’s attempt to stop SNAP funding is “unlawful” but declined to immediately order funding for the program.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani reserved judgment on whether to issue a temporary restraining order and instead asked the Trump administration to inform the court whether they would authorize reduced SNAP benefits for November.
He ordered the Trump administration to respond to his question about reducing SNAP funds by Monday.
“For the reasons set forth below, plaintiffs have standing to bring this action and are likely to succeed in their claim that defendants’ suspension of SNAP benefits is unlawful,” he wrote.
““Where that suspension of benefits was based on a misinterpretation of the relevant statutory provisions, the court will allow the defendants to consider whether to authorize at least reduced SNAP benefits for November and report to the court no later than Monday, November 3, 2025,” Judge Talwani said.
The Trump administration was expected to appeal both rulings on Friday.
