The Trump administration has instructed states that they must “immediately undo any steps” that were taken to provide full SNAP benefits to low-income Americans, saying states were “unauthorized.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a late-night Saturday memo obtained by CBS News, also threatened to impose financial penalties on states that did not comply with the government’s new orders.
“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.”
The Trump administration initially said last month that it would not fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for November because of the ongoing government shutdown. The twists and turns since have exacerbated uncertainty for the nearly 1 in 8 Americans who receive monthly SNAP benefits to spend at grocery stores and farmers’ markets.
On Friday, some states began issuing full monthly SNAP benefits to people, a day after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to provide the funds. Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey were among the states that said on Friday they were moving to issue full benefits to SNAP recipients.
But Friday night, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily paused that judicial order to give an appeals court in Boston time to decide whether to issue a more lasting halt. Jackson acted because she handles emergency matters from Massachusetts.
CBS News has reached out to the White House and the Department of Agriculture for additional comments on the new guidance.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said there is no clarity from the government on funding SNAP benefits over the last several days.
“There is a chaos and it is an intentional chaos that we are seeing from this administration and where they have money for everything,” Moore said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” “They got money to fight wars. They got money for ballrooms. They got money for everything but when it’s to supporting the people, that’s now when they are crying, well, we are broke and that’s not what the law requires us to do.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a Republican, on Sunday called the directive “shocking” if it applies to states, like hers, that used their own money to prop up the program.
“It’s one thing if the federal government is going to continue its level of appeal through the courts to say, no, this can’t be done,” Murkowski said. “But when you are telling the states that have said this is a significant enough issue in our state, we’re going to find resources, backfill or front load, whatever term you want, to help our people, those states should not be penalized.”
Democratic Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts said SNAP benefits were processed and placed on EBT cards before the U.S. Supreme Court order Friday night, in line with the previous guidance from the USDA. She said that if Trump attempts to claw back the money, “we will see him in court.”
“Massachusetts residents with funds on their cards should continue to spend it on food,” she said in a statement Sunday. “President Trump should be focusing on reopening the government that he controls instead of repeatedly fighting to take away food from American families.”
Nearly 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, for help buying groceries. Most have incomes below the poverty line, which is about $32,000 for a family of four.
An individual can receive a monthly maximum food benefit of nearly $300 and a family of four up to nearly $1,000, although many receive less than that under a formula that takes into consideration their income.
The delay in payments has led to a surge in demand at food banks and pantries across the country, as well as long lines for free meals or drive-thru giveaways.
Some states have provided emergency funding to food banks to help them respond to the increased need. Some states also used their own dollars to fund direct payments to people while the federal benefits were in limbo.
The New York Times first reported on the USDA’s memo.
