NEW: Attorney General James’ office announces emergency court order win in temporarily blocking Trump administration from punishing states that release SNAP benefits
NEW YORK- Attorney General Letitia James’ office has announced victory pertaining to a court order temporarily blocking the Trump administration’s attempts to retract SNAP benefits and punish states that release them during the government shutdown.
Attorney General James and 24 other attorneys general and governors filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order right after the Trump administration sent states an alarming late-night memo directing them to “immediately undo” the release of SNAP benefits.
In a Saturday night letter, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) allegedly ignored its own prior guidance and threatened that the release of full November benefits would be considered “unauthorized,” according to AG James.
Several states, including New York, had already begun issuing these benefits in accordance with USDA’s previous memo released last Friday, stating that the agency would soon release full funding.
“This order ensures that families can keep the food assistance they need and that states won’t be punished for doing their jobs," said Attorney General James.
"New Yorkers should not hesitate to use their rightful SNAP benefits as their cards are reloaded. If you have your benefits, use them. My office will deal with the federal government in court.”
Attorney General James and the coalition sued the federal government on October 28 for withholding November SNAP benefits during the shutdown.
On October 31, a federal court ruled in their favor, requiring USDA to use its contingency funds to at least partially fund benefits. On Thursday, November 6, a second judge ordered USDA to immediately release full benefits, prompting the agency to notify states on Friday, November 7 that full funding would be available imminently.
Based on that memo, New York and other states began issuing full benefits. Later on the evening of November 7, the administration appealed the court rulings, ultimately obtaining a temporary administrative stay from the Supreme Court, after several states had already transmitted their data to their SNAP vendor.
Then, on Saturday, November 8, at 10 p.m., USDA issued yet another memo reversing its previous communication and baselessly claiming that any state’s release of full benefits was “unauthorized.”
The agency ordered states to “immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025” and threatened to hold states financially liable if they failed to claw back benefits – going so far as to warn that it could withhold the basic administrative funding it is legally required to provide, James’ office claimed.
The following night, on Sunday, November 9, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied the administration’s request for a stay pending appeal, leaving in place the lower court’s order requiring USDA to release full SNAP benefits.
Joining Attorney General James in filing this motion are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.
Letitia James image.
