Court orders USDA to use contingency funds to restore SNAP benefits during federal shutdown

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced that a federal court has ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use contingency funds to continue the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the ongoing federal government shutdown.

The ruling, issued by the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, came after a multistate coalition of 23 Attorneys General and three governors—including New Jersey—sued the federal government over the suspension of SNAP benefits. The court found that the USDA must utilize its contingency funds to fund the program and, if those funds are insufficient, consider additional federal funding sources.

“From the beginning, we have said that the Trump Administration’s attempt to cut over 800,000 New Jerseyans from SNAP benefits that keep food on the table for them was blatantly illegal, and today the court agreed with us,” said Attorney General Platkin. “While this fight is not yet over, this is a critical development in our fight to prevent New Jersey families from being harmed by the Trump Administration’s political games. We intend to ensure that this order is complied with and that our residents are no longer at risk of their benefits being cut off.”

According to the order, the USDA must notify the court by Monday, November 3, whether it will use additional funding beyond the contingency fund to guarantee benefits for the roughly 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP. A separate federal court in Rhode Island also ruled that the USDA must issue benefits as soon as possible.

Governor Phil Murphy recently declared a state of emergency to address the potential food insecurity caused by the lapse in federal SNAP funding. His Executive Order No. 402 establishes a coordinated statewide response and directs the Office of Emergency Management within the New Jersey State Police to oversee operations to protect residents’ access to food assistance.

Additionally, Executive Order No. 401 creates a Task Force on the Federal Suspension of SNAP Benefits, which Attorney General Platkin will serve on. The task force will coordinate state resources and strategies to mitigate the effects of the funding suspension and support residents facing food insecurity.

Until the USDA implements the court’s order, SNAP benefits remain unavailable.