Congress made a deal early Sunday. It ended the longest U.S. shutdown ever. The shutdown lasted 40 days. It started on October 1. It hurt federal work. But millions who need food help still face doubt. The U.S. Department of Agriculture sent an order on November 9. It told states to reverse full SNAP benefits for November 2025.
SNAP means Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This leaves 42 million people in a bind. They get only partial payments now. Court fights go on. The new funding bill opens agencies until January 30. It aims to fix SNAP. But experts say legal issues and delays could keep hunger risks high for poor families.
The shutdown hurt SNAP hard. Benefits did not load on November 1. This was a first in the program’s history. The USDA used a $5.3 billion emergency fund for partial aid. That gave about 65% of the full amounts. Or $3 billion across the U.S. A judge in Rhode Island ordered full payments on November 7.
The Trump team appealed. The Supreme Court put a short stop it on November 8. This led to the USDA’s reverse order. But late Sunday, the 1st Circuit Court backed the full payments. The Supreme Court stop still holds for now. It waits for more review.
Deputy Patrick Penn wrote the memo. It went to the States. It said: “If states sent full SNAP files for November 2025, that was not allowed.” It added: “States must undo those steps right away.” If not, states could lose federal help for costs. Or owe money back. This makes a big mess for states. They must fix systems. Some are old and slow. They switch to partial aid only. This fuels fear, with searches like “SNAP undo payments” getting over 12,000 views on X.
In Washington state, almost 1 million people use SNAP. The “double hit” from shutdown and reverse hurts families badly. Governor Bob Ferguson called the order cruel. He said partial aid cuts benefits by 35%. This hits during holidays. A Seattle family shows the pain. The parents both lost federal jobs in the shutdown. They hoped for full aid after the court order. But the reverse slashed it.
“We used up our food stock in the shutdown,” the mom said in a local story. “Now they pull it back.” With kids, they skipped meals. They turned to busy food banks. “No pay, no full food, it’s a double blow,” the dad added. Their tale spread online amid anger.
Across the U.S., some states fight back. Oregon and Wisconsin leaders promise court battles. They say payments before the stop are legal. Massachusetts tells people to use loaded aid. They vow to sue over take-backs. But in states like Texas and Florida, they follow fast.
This makes big divides. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says cuts could raise food shortages to pandemic highs. Rural spots suffer most. Democrats in the Senate blame the administration. They say it uses hunger in budget fights. Republicans say it’s about smart spending.
The shutdown is over. SNAP funds are in the new bill. But the Supreme Court review comes soon. Maybe mid-November. States could send back pay after. But waits might last weeks. Families, check sites like benefits.gov. Call 211 for help. Try WIC. Food banks need gifts to help. This shows weak spots in aid. Relief is close, but the wait hurts many.
