The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued directives to state SNAP directors on Saturday, declaring the authorized payments "unauthorized" now that the Supreme Court has temporarily paused the rulings that mandated the disbursements. The move affects the anti-hunger program used by millions of Americans and has triggered fierce pushback from Democratic-led states and Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary of Agriculture, then wrote to state SNAP directors warning that payments made under the prior orders were "unauthorized" and demanding states "immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025." The directive threatened penalties for non-compliance, though it remains unclear whether penalties apply to states that used their own funds rather than federal money.
Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said on Sunday: "It's one thing if the federal government is going to continue its level of appeal through the courts to say, no, this can't be done. But when you are telling the states that have said this is a significant enough issue in our state, we're going to find resources, backfill or front load, whatever term you want, to help our people, those states should not be penalized."
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