The Trump administration has instructed states to undo any efforts to fully fund SNAP payments for November.
In a new memo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the administration has directed states to instead "continue to process and load the partial" payments that reflect a 35 percent reduction in the maximum allotments.
"Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025," the memo reads.
The USDA threatened to take action against states that don't comply with the administration's directive, including canceling federal funds that go toward the administrative costs of the SNAP program. The memo promised to hold states liable for "overissuances."
Initially, the Trump administration said last month that it would not be able to fully fund SNAP benefits for November because of the ongoing federal government shutdown, which stretched into day 40 on Sunday. However, some states on Friday began issuing full SNAP benefits after a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to provide the funding.
Adding to the twists and turns, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson late Friday lifted a deadline imposed by the Rhode Island judge, which ordered the USDA to tap into a separate account to provide full SNAP funding for November. Under the Supreme Court's order, full payouts will remain paused while an appeal of the initial order plays out in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
KATC reached out Sunday morning to both Gov. Jeff Landry's office and to the Louisiana Department of Health, which administers SNAP in Louisiana, to see what action the state planned to take. So far, we have not heard back.
LDH on Friday clarified how it planned to issue 100 percent of SNAP benefits to eligible recipients. The department had already begun issuing benefits at 65 percent of their usual benefits. It's unclear how the new guidance from USDA would impact how the state will continue to administer benefits.
