Berkshire County — On Saturday, November 8, the state issued full benefits to all households eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Massachusetts is one of several states, including New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, to issue full benefits despite the Supreme Court’s decision to grant the Trump Administration an emergency appeal to temporarily block a court order issued by Rhode Island-based US District Judge John McConnell.
The court order would have forced the Trump Administration to fully fund the SNAP program.
In a memo from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Deputy Under Secretary Patrick Penn published on November 8, the Trump Administration is now directing states to roll back the issuance of SNAP benefits.
The memo, as per the USDA’s website:
The U.S. Supreme Court granted the U.S. Department of Agriculture an administrative stay of the orders issued by the District Court of Rhode Island in Rhode Island State Council of Churches, et al. v. Rollins, 25-cv-569. Pending any explicit direction to the contrary from Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), States must not transmit full benefit issuance files to EBT processors. Instead, States must continue to process and load the partial issuance files that reflect the 35 percent reduction of maximum allotments detailed in the November 5 guidance.
To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized. Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025. Please advise the appropriate FNS Regional Office representative of steps taken to correct any actions taken that do not comply with this memorandum.
Per 7 CFR 271.7(h), failure to comply with this memorandum may result in USDA taking various actions, including cancellation of the Federal share of State administrative costs and holding States liable for any overissuances that result from the noncompliance.
In response, Gov. Maura Healey’s office issued the following statement on Sunday, November 9 via her press office:
If President Trump wants to penalize states for preventing Americans from going hungry, we will see him in court. Massachusetts residents with funds on their cards should continue to spend it on food.
These funds were processed in accordance with guidance we received from the Trump Administration and a lower court order, and they were processed before the Supreme Court order on Friday night.
We will continue to work with Attorney General Campbell to make sure everyone gets the full benefits they are owed. President Trump should be focusing on reopening the government that he controls instead of repeatedly fighting to take away food from American families.
