SNAP benefits restored to Minnesotans, but USDA threatens penalties to states who fail to “undo” the action
(this article was updated to reflect new information made public on Nov. 9)
Benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) were restored in Minnesota beginning this weekend.
Following a ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island on Thursday, Nov. 6, which ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fully fund SNAP benefits, some states have restored full benefits to those receiving assistance. A memo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ordered states to “undo” the move.
Late on Friday, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) updated their federal government shutdown information page to announce that Minnesotans already approved for SNAP and Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) benefits would see them fully restored. Some beneficiaries had access to their assistance funds as early as Nov. 8.
DCYF included a statement on their shutdown information page that read, “Given the latest court ruling in Rhode Island and USDA guidance, all households currently approved to receive SNAP and MFIP will receive full benefits. Some households may receive payments earlier than usual. DCYF is taking these steps to protect Minnesotans during this period of uncertainty around future court decisions.”
On Nov. 9 the same page was updated to read, “Late night on Saturday, Nov. 8, we received a memo from the USDA requiring states to “immediately undo” actions to issue full SNAP benefits. Minnesota does not have any mechanism for taking money back from SNAP recipients. DCYF is evaluating USDA’s Saturday memo, and we’ll share any updates on this website as soon as they become available. ”
Though the over 440,000 SNAP participants in Minnesota have already, according to DCYF, received their full benefits, the situation across the nation remains unclear.
Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture Patrick Penn wrote to state SNAP coordinators that the quick action to issue benefits was not authorized. He went on, “Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025.”
Penn also warned that states that do not comply could face penalties.
Last week, the Trump administration announced that SNAP would be partially funded, drawing money from a contingency fund to cover the expense as the federal government shutdown that began on Oct. 1 continues. After the ruling on Nov. 6, the administration asked an appeals court to pause the order to fund SNAP fully, to avoid spending more than the $4.6 billion in the contingency account.
While the Nov. 6 ruling instructed the federal administration to use the emergency reserve fund, because SNAP typically costs in excess of $8.5 billion each month, the ruling also allowed for the use of other funds to cover the cost. The Trump administration’s response argues that Congress, not the judicial or executive branches, decides how federal funds are spent. The administration has described the ruling as an overreach of legislative and executive authority.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who handles emergency court business in the state of Massachusetts, where the appeals court is located, issued an order late on Friday to pause Thursday’s order requiring the USDA to fully fund SNAP. Her order is temporary, allowing the appeals court to rule.
In the meantime, however, human services departments in Minnesota, along with other states including California, Hawaii, Kansas, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin, acted quickly to access federal funds made available by Thursday’s ruling, and began the process of getting those funds to those in need. Several other states have distributed partial benefits.
One in eight Americans is a recipient of SNAP benefits, though the monthly amount they receive varies. The first week of November has seen many SNAP participants, along with food shelves and other organizations working on food access, scrambling to try to fill the gap in benefits. At the state and county levels, there has been a lot of confusion about where funding stands or what money could be used to make up for the disrupted SNAP benefits.
At a Food Access Council meeting on Nov. 5 in Cook County, Public Health Supervisor Grace Grinager told attendees that at that point the county had not received details on when partial benefits could be available, and that information from DCYF was limited at that time. Thursday’s ruling seemed to clear things up, but the instruction from the USDA for states to “undo” the action has caused more confusion.
Leaders of several states who issued full SNAP benefits have expressed frustration at the rapidly changing directives about SNAP benefits, especially with the threat of penalties for states that do not or cannot pull money already transferred to SNAP accounts back. If the federal government does not reimburse states that have already dispersed money to SNAP users, some leaders, like Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, are concerned that their states could run out of money.
Evers also argued that the states that issued full benefits were in compliance with the guidance at the time of the action. “Pursuant to and consistent with an active court order, Wisconsin legally loaded benefits to cards, ensuring nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites, including nearly 270,000 kids, had access to basic food and groceries,” he said. “After we did so, the Trump Administration assured Wisconsin and other states that they were actively working to implement full SNAP benefits for November and would ‘complete the processes necessary to make funds available.’ They have failed to do so to date.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore described the situation as “intentional chaos.”
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy told SNAP participants in her state to use their benefits as normal. She added, “President Trump should be focusing on reopening the government that he controls instead of repeatedly fighting to take away food from American families.”
The current government shutdown is the longest ever. There is renewed pressure on the U.S. Senate to come to an agreement on a funding bill. After the difficult first week of the month for those facing hunger, and the announcement of a reduction in air traffic across the country, the Senate met for a rare Saturday session on Nov. 8.
No agreement was reached during that session.
As the shutdown continues, and states are left to navigate the uncertainty with federal programs like SNAP, some state leaders have been pointed in their criticism of federal management. In a post on X, Gov. Tim Walz wrote, “This funding, used by children, seniors, and people with disabilities to pay for food, has been in limbo since October. Restoring this funding took numerous court rulings ordering the Trump Administration to use the money they have set aside- for this very purpose – to feed the hungry.”
At the top of the DCYF webpage, the link to the federal shutdown information page reads, “SNAP does not shut off on its own. Learn how the USDA and the federal government are limiting food access for more than 440,000 Minnesotans.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kirsten Wisniewski November 9, 2025
