Two federal judges order Trump administration to fund SNAP benefits in KY, across US
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Federal judges ordered Trump administration to tap contingency funds to fund SNAP.
- Rulings came as SNAP funds depleted on Nov. 1; unclear when it will restart
- Judges set short deadline for administration to explain funding and restart plan.
Two federal judges ruled Friday President Donald Trump’s administration must find the money to fund Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits used by 42 million Americans to buy groceries.
The rulings, one in Rhode Island and a second in Massachusetts, came the day before the program, which is used by nearly 600,000 Kentuckians, was set to run out of money. However, it’s not clear if the Trump administration, which has argued it does not have legal authority to tap a $5 billion contingency fund, will appeal the rulings.
Speaking before the ruling Friday at a Lexington news conference, Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said it would likely take several days or even longer for the program to ramp back up if the administration does not appeal. Coleman and others have encouraged people to continue to give food and money to area food pantries.
The benefits are issued monthly to those who qualify in the form of money on electronic benefits transfer cards. Funding for the program was cut short as of Saturday, Nov. 1 due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge John McConnell said given the contingency fund, SNAP aid should continue for those who rely on the program to put food on the table.
“There is no doubt that the … contingency funds are appropriated funds that are without a doubt necessary to carry out the program’s operation,” McConnell said in the Rhode Island decision, according to CNN. “The shutdown of the government through funding doesn’t do away with SNAP, it just does away with the funding of it.”
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston issued a similar order Friday, giving the Trump administration until Monday, Nov. 3 to explain if it was going to voluntarily restart the SNAP program, according to the New York Times. Talwani noted in her opinion t the U.S. Department of Agriculture can pull from multiple sources of funding to fully fund November benefits.
Kentucky was one of 25 states to join the lawsuit against the Trump administration in the Boston federal court case. The states argued the federal government is required to use the $5 billion contingency fund as the shutdown hits the 31-day mark. The Trump administration argued it could not legally use those funds, however.
The federal lawsuit in Rhode Island was filed by several nonprofits and cities.
Neither the Trump administration nor the U.S. Department of Justice have commented on the ruling as of Friday afternoon. It’s not clear if the administration will appeal.
It’s also not clear if and when SNAP benefits will restart or if those benefits will be less than what people typically receive. The contingency fund is a little more than $5 billion, but the benefits cost the federal government $8 billion a month. The average monthly benefit is $183 dollars, according to SNAP data.
This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 3:22 PM.
