The Supreme Court extended an administrative stay Tuesday that continues to block full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from reaching more than 42 million low-income Americans, setting a new deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST on November 13, 2025.​

​The order extends the temporary hold originally issued by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on November 7, which paused two lower court rulings that had ordered the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits for November. The extension maintains the status quo while the case proceeds through the courts, preventing an estimated $4 billion in food aid from being distributed.​​

Justice Jackson indicated she would have denied the extension and the administration’s underlying application for a stay, making her the sole noted dissent from the court’s decision. The order provided no explanation for the majority’s reasoning.

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the Supreme Court to maintain the stay, noting that “Congress appears to be on the brink of breaking the deadlock” on the government shutdown. In court filings, the administration argued that the district court’s orders “risk upsetting that compromise and throwing into doubt how innumerable critical federal programs will be funded.”

After initially indicating it was “working towards implementing November 2025 full benefit issuances” following Judge McConnell’s order, the USDA issued guidance on November 8 directing states to “immediately undo” any steps taken to provide full SNAP benefits. At least 10 states had already taken action to make full benefits available to some or all eligible residents.

The extended stay affects SNAP recipients nationwide who were expecting full benefits for November. The administration depleted the multi-year SNAP contingency fund to provide partial payments, leaving recipients with reduced assistance during the ongoing government shutdown.​

Plaintiffs have argued that the USDA’s decision to provide only partial benefits while knowing the novel system would cause delays was “arbitrary and capricious” and done for political purposes.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. initially granted a temporary restraining order on October 31, requiring the USDA to distribute SNAP benefits as soon as possible. When the administration provided only partial payments, the court issued a second order on November 6, directing full payment of November SNAP benefits by November 7 using available Section 32 funds combined with contingency funds.​

The First Circuit Court of Appeals denied the government’s request for an administrative stay on November 7, stating it intended to rule on the motion “as quickly as possible.” The Trump administration then sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court, arguing that transferring billions from Child Nutrition Programs would leave critical food security programs underfunded.

The Supreme Court’s extension ensures the matter remains unresolved at least through Thursday evening, with Congress reportedly close to ending the record-breaking government shutdown and potentially resolving the funding dispute.