November 7, 2025
SNAP recipients will get 65% of their November benefits, up from 50%, as the Trump administration appeals to release full payments during the government shutdown.
When November SNAP benefits are finalized, recipients will receive a larger portion of their monthly payments than originally expected, as the Trump administration appeals a judge’s order mandating full coverage of food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans.
On Nov. 5, Patrick Penn, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official overseeing food and nutrition services, including SNAP, stated in a court declaration that maximum allotments for food-stamp recipients will be reduced by 35% this month, rather than cut in half, CBS News reports. This means beneficiaries will receive up to 65% of their benefits, higher than the 50% initially directed for states to implement earlier this week.
However, amid the daily changes in information regarding the benefits, received by over 40 million Americans, by Nov. 7, the Trump administration made an emergency request to the First Circuit Court of Appeals, a day after a federal judge in Rhode Island said the U.S. Department of Agriculture must find additional money to make the payments, a rejection of the administration’s decision to only partially fund the food benefits program this month.
Addressing the change in partial SNAP benefits from 50% to 65%, the Justice Department stated in a separate filing that the USDA “realized this error” after further calculations. On Nov. 4, the agency initially notified states of the November benefits reduction but later issued updated guidance to help states determine the correct allotments for each eligible household, according to government lawyers.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department, representing the USDA in court, told the Boston-based appeals court that U.S. District Judge John McConnell exceeded his authority with his Nov. 6 order to secure additional funds for full SNAP benefit payments. The DOJ argued that McConnell’s decision “thrust the Judiciary into the ongoing shutdown negotiations and may well extend the lapse in appropriations, worsening the problem the court was attempting to address.”
“This unprecedented injunction makes a mockery of the separation of powers. Courts hold neither the power to appropriate nor the power to spend,” they wrote. “There is no lawful basis for an order that directs USDA to somehow find $4 billion in the metaphorical couch cushions.”
Late last month, the Trump administration warned states that November SNAP payments would be delayed due to the ongoing government shutdown. After a coalition of municipalities and nonprofits filed a lawsuit, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the USDA to use a contingency fund to cover the benefits gap.
Amid the legal dispute and the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, the USDA has now provided enough funding for states to issue partial November benefits, following Judge McConnell’s order, which has since been appealed to the First Circuit. Nearly 42 million Americans rely on food stamps, with payments issued on a staggered schedule throughout the month. States are processing partial benefits at different speeds, with some indicating recipients may start receiving assistance next week, while others warn it could take longer.
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