Trump Administration Must Pay Food Stamp Program: Appeals Court

‘We conclude that the government has failed to meet the stay factors as to the enforcement order,’ the court ruled.

A 'We Accept Food Stamps' sign hangs in the window of a grocery store in Miami, Fla., on Oct. 31, 2025. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Trump administration cannot withhold money from the federal food stamp program, known as SNAP, an appeals court ruled late Nov. 9.

The government is not likely to succeed in its appeal of an order that required the government to fully fund SNAP amid the government shutdown, a panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit said.