MDHHS Orders Full November SNAP Payments

MDHHS did jump the shark.  It appears that MDHHS does not have a single lawyer who paid attention to his/her first year law classes.  The perils of DEI.

Obama Judge McConnell's ruling just got stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court, despite his devious and blatantly illegal attempt to prevent a Trump Administration appeal at the 1st Circus by giving the Trump Administration zero time to appeal.  The federal judiciary has never been granted power of the purse anywhere in the U.S. Constitution and defendants - even the government - have basic rights which a district judge cannot abrogate.

Obama Judge McConnell should be impeached for the havoc he has created with his nakedly partisan ruling.

Director Hertel is absolutely wrong to chastise the nation's highest court for demanding correct legal process, rather than her exalted desires.  MDHHS' callow response to the Supreme Court of the United States:

https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/inside-mdhhs/newsroom/2025/11/08/supreme-court-emergency-order-pauses-november--snap-payments

Supreme Court Emergency Order pauses November SNAP payments
By Erin Stover - November 08, 2025

Nationwide emergency order will immediately prevent SNAP recipients from receiving further benefits

LANSING, Mich. – Tonight, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an emergency stay temporarily blocking an order to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to issue full November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for roughly 42 million low-income Americans.

To comply with the court’s ruling, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is required to direct its SNAP EBT vendor to pause issuing SNAP benefit payments to Michigan recipients. November benefits that have not yet been issued will remain paused until the courts or USDA take further action to allow MDHHS to resume payment.

“We are disappointed by the federal government's continued efforts to prevent SNAP benefits from reaching the Michigan residents who rely on them,” said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. “Taking this matter all the way to the Supreme Court creates uncertainty, confusion, and frustration. Worse than that, it punishes the more than one million Michigan residents who qualify for and rely on their benefits to put food on the table.”

Consistent with the court order issued Thursday, MDHHS began sending full November SNAP payments. Today’s late intervention prevents the department from finalizing all payments to Michigan recipients who have yet to receive their November benefits.

SNAP recipients are encouraged to reach out to their local MDHHS office with any questions regarding SNAP benefits or can check MI Bridges for updates.

To help feed families amid the federal government shutdown, Governor Whitmer recently announced the State of Michigan is providing $4.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan. This critical funding will help feed Michigan residents in all 83 counties and provide food delivery to those who can’t drive to their local food bank.

Whitmer also recently led a group of governors in a letter calling on the Trump Administration to prevent disruption to SNAP during the federal government shutdown. Additionally, the Executive Office of the Governor and state departments have helped Michigan residents feed their families by:

*    Continuing Double Up Food Bucks, a program that gives Michigan families money to purchase groceries, including fresh fruits and vegetables.
*    Supporting Hunters Feeding Families, a program that helps Michiganders get venison or other fresh game to feed their families.
*    Continuing to feed all 1.4 million public school students free breakfast and lunch.

To find additional resources:

Dial 2-1-1 or visit www.mi211.org for free, confidential assistance and referrals to local food programs and support services.
Visit the Food Bank Council of Michigan to locate nearby food banks and learn about additional hunger relief efforts.
Call the Double Up Food Bucks program hotline at 866-586-2796, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Until Wednesday, Dec. 31, the program, which matches SNAP purchases of fruits and vegetables, will expand access so families can build up savings on their Double Up cards. Find a participating location near you: DoubleUpFoodBucks.org/find-a-location.
SNAP in Michigan

In FY 2024, the average SNAP household in Michigan received $335.03 in SNAP benefits per month, which is about $173 per person per month or $5.68 per person per day. Households with very low incomes receive more SNAP benefits than households closer to the poverty line because they need more help affording nutritious food.

492,225 children benefit from SNAP.
38,513 veterans participating in SNAP.
36% SNAP households have older adults.
43% SNAP households have children.
51% households have a person with a disability.
78% of SNAP households include someone with earned income.
In Michigan, more than 9,700 retailers accept SNAP. In 2023, retailers redeemed over $3.6 billion in SNAP.

To be eligible for SNAP in Michigan, applicants must be a U.S. citizen (or acceptable non-citizen status) and must live in Michigan. Eligibility is based on the financial situation of all members of a household. Everyone who lives together, purchases and prepares food together is considered a member of the same household group. In order to determine if a household is eligible for SNAP, MDHHS will review a household’s expenses, assets and income. Expenses include rent, mortgage, utility bills, child support and dependent care expenses. For individuals with a disability or who are at least 60 years old, medical care, medical supplies and health insurance premiums may be included as an expense.

Our delusional Attorney General has weighed in:

https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2025/11/07/ag-nessel-issues-statement-after-supreme-court-blocks-court-order

AG Nessel Issues Statement After Supreme Court Blocks Court Order Requiring USDA To Fully Fund Snap Benefits
By Danny Wimmer - November 07, 2025

LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today issued the following statement after the Supreme Court of the United States granted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) request to suspend a lower court’s order compelling them to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

"It is despicable the lengths the Trump Administration will go to to block food assistance for 42 million Americans, including families, seniors, veterans and active military,” said Attorney General Nessel. “Thanks to the quick actions from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, some Michiganders were able to receive their benefits this week, but access to food is not a legal game. I will not be deterred despite the President’s continued maneuverings and will continue to fight until every qualified resident receives the benefits they rightfully deserve.”

The Supreme Court’s decision is a direct result of four choices made by the Trump administration over the last week, each of which advocated against feeding Americans:

*    On 10/24, the Trump administration chose to stop all SNAP funding for November despite billions of dollars being legally available for USDA to use to feed families;

*    On 11/3, the Trump administration chose to only fund partial SNAP benefits for November despite the Rhode Island District Court laying out a clear path for USDA to transfer available funding to support full SNAP benefits in November;

*    On 11/6, the Trump administration chose to appeal and ask for an immediate stay of the Rhode Island Court’s order requiring the payment of full SNAP benefits from the First Circuit Court of Appeals; and

*    On 11/7, the Trump administration chose to appeal and seek an immediate stay from the Supreme Court when the First Circuit Court of Appeals refused to immediately stop the Rhode Island Court’s decision.

“These choices by this administration put Americans last and literally takes the food off of American dinner tables,” Nessel continued. “These choices unnecessarily force our family, friends and neighbors to prioritize between necessities like buying groceries or filling prescriptions. I implore the Trump Administration to stand down and ensure that Americans are fed throughout this protracted shutdown.”

Last night, following a court order in Rhode Island, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued benefits helping over 200,000 households whose benefits are typically provided on the third, fifth or seventh of each month. Tonight’s decision by the Supreme Court will halt future full benefits from being distributed for an unknown period.

AG Nessel has joined a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia in a similar lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. In that case, a judge ordered that the federal government is required to fund the SNAP program using all of its SNAP contingency funding. The states have since asked the Court to compel the government to use other funding sources to fully fund the SNAP program, as the federal government’s decision to only partially fund the program has created unacceptable delays and needless chaos.

AG Nessel seems unfamiliar with the U.S. Constitution and the different, entirely exclusive, roles it assigns to the three branches of the U.S. government.

Michigan wasn't alone in jumping the shark:

https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/5597653-after-states-told-to-undo-snap-payments-what-happens/

After states told to ‘undo’ SNAP payments, what happens?
By Addy Bink - November 9, 2025

(NEXSTAR) — SNAP recipients have again been thrown for a loop after the U.S. Department of Agriculture instructed states to “immediately undo” actions they had taken to send out full food assistance benefits following a string of court decisions.

At first, states were instructed to send out partial benefits, then slightly larger benefits, then full benefits. Then Friday night, the Supreme Court responded to a request from the Trump administration to halt that latter decision for the time being, just hours after several states had sent out full SNAP benefits to their recipients.

In a directive to local SNAP directors (the USDA oversees SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but states administer the grocery assistance program) on Saturday, the USDA warned that those who do not “undo” their funding actions could lose out on federal cost-sharing and held responsible for the funds that have been administered.

In response to the USDA’s directive, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers responded with a simple “No.” According to a Saturday court filing submitted by 26 states, Wisconsin has “insufficient funds to reimburse retailers for their provisions sold to SNAP recipients” after the U.S. Treasury declined the transaction to fill the state’s SNAP EBT cards.

The lack of money could leave vendors unpaid and trigger escalating legal claims, the states warned. “States could face demands to return hundreds of millions of dollars in the aggregate,” the states’ filing at the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals says.

In a filing in federal court on Sunday, the agency said states moved too quickly and erroneously released full money SNAP Benefits after last week’s rulings. The USDA did not immediately respond to Nexstar’s request for comment or additional details.

Though the Senate is believed to be nearing a deal to reopen the government, SNAP beneficiaries may find themselves in limbo with their funds in the meantime.

What happens to SNAP benefits?

In several states, officials have confirmed that benefits sent out to recipients on Friday remain available.

Nearly 32,000 Coloradans received their full SNAP benefits before the Supreme Court’s decision, and they will keep their funds, Gov. Jared Polis told Nexstar’s KDVR on Sunday. Partial benefits will be paid out to the thousands of others awaiting funds, albeit with a 35% reduction.

Illinois said it was also distributing partial benefits to SNAP customers.

In Oregon and Washington, officials said full benefits had been sent out on Friday and would not be withdrawn, allowing recipients to use their funds as usual. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said Saturday that full benefits had been loaded onto SNAP EBT cards, with some funds coming from the state.

Officials in New Jersey said they are “monitoring developments” while encouraging SNAP beneficiaries to check their EBT card balances.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey similarly said the state was working to get SNAP recipients their funds while noting benefits already loaded onto EBT cards could be used to buy food. Healey said that if Trump attempts to claw back the money, “we will see him in court.”

In Hawaii, where at least some SNAP recipients received full benefits on Friday, health officials said they have “not received reports of widespread issues with SNAP EBT transactions being declined” in the state. Officials were continuing to monitor the situation, and said a $250 Hawai‘i Emergency Food Assistance Program (HEFAP) benefit is set to be available on EBT cards on Monday.

In Michigan, authorities said benefits not yet issued for November “will remain paused until the courts or the USDA take further action.” California‘s Department of Social Services has warned that some may see their benefits “further delayed” following the Supreme Court’s order.

Some in New York began receiving November SNAP benefits on Sunday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. On Friday, she directed state agencies to “fully fund” SNAP, Nexstar’s WPIX reported, but it’s unclear whether New Yorkers were receiving full or partial funds on Sunday.

Governor Wes Moore called for the state of Maryland to provide a supplemental benefit of 50% of the funds SNAP recipients there typically get, with payments expected to start going out on Tuesday.

Moore said in an interview on CBS on Sunday that “in the past six days, we’ve received four different measures of guidance” from the Trump administration.

“There is a chaos, and it is an intentional chaos, that we are seeing from this administration,” Moore said.

Ohio has delayed its SNAP benefits, as has South Dakota, where benefits were expected to go out in full on Monday.

If you’re uncertain about the status of your SNAP benefits, you may want to access the online portal or contact your local SNAP program to confirm the status of your funds.

USDA issued a guidance to the states late yesterday which is only now coming to light:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/usda-tells-states-undo-efforts-issue-full-food-aid-benefits-2025-11-09/

USDA tells states to undo efforts to issue full food aid benefits
By Leah Douglas - November 9, 2025

Summary

*    Saturday USDA memo says state actions were unauthorized
*    Supreme Court has allowed Trump administration to withhold $4 billion SNAP funding for now
*    Nearly 42 million low-income Americans receive SNAP food aid
*    Massachusetts Governor threatens court action over food aid funding

WASHINGTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture directed states to roll back any steps taken to issue full food aid benefits to low-income Americans or risk financial penalties.

The new guidance issued late on Saturday follows a U.S. Supreme Court order on Friday that allowed the Trump administration to continue withholding $4 billion to fully fund the aid for nearly 42 million recipients, pending a lower court ruling.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps, lapsed at the start of the month for the first time in the program's 60-year history due to the federal government shutdown, which is now in its 40th day.

Hours before the Supreme Court order, the USDA had informed states, opens new tab in a memo that it was working to comply with a federal judge's order to fully fund SNAP, even as the administration moved to appeal the ruling.

After receiving that Friday memo, several states said they were beginning the process of issuing full benefits.

But those state actions are now unauthorized because of the Supreme Court order, the USDA wrote in guidance released on Saturday. State governments should instead issue only partial benefits, the USDA said.

"States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025," the memo issued by the USDA late Saturday said.

"Failure to comply with this memorandum may result in USDA taking various actions, including cancellation of the Federal share of state administrative costs and holding states liable for any overissuances that result from the noncompliance," the USDA said.

Some states had previously said they would fund November SNAP benefits using state funds. It was not immediately clear whether the memo applied to actions taken by those states. The USDA did not respond to a request for additional comment.

Massachusetts and New Jersey, which were among the states that said on Friday they were moving to issue full benefits to SNAP recipients, criticized the guidance by the USDA.

"If President Trump wants to penalize states for preventing Americans from going hungry, we will see him in court," Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said in a written statement.

"We will continue to work with (Massachusetts) Attorney General (Andrea) Campbell to make sure everyone gets the full benefits they are owed," Healey added.

A spokesperson for New Jersey's Office of the Governor said in a statement that the state is closely monitoring developments.

"Washington Republicans’ determination to starve American citizens during this government shutdown is shameful," the spokesperson said. "We hope that a fair resolution to this unnecessary, unprecedented problem is reached soon and federal funding for SNAP and other lapsed programs is backfilled."

LEGAL FIGHT

States, cities and nonprofit organizations have sued the administration of President Donald Trump to issue full SNAP benefits after it said in October that the program would lapse on November 1.

Two federal judges ruled on October 31 that the administration needed to at least partially fund the benefits using an agency contingency fund of about $5 billion. SNAP benefits cost about $8 billion to $9 billion per month.

The administration said it would comply with the order, but warned of weeks or months of delay due to technical hurdles.

Cities and nonprofits represented by the liberal legal group Democracy Forward argued those actions were inadequate and pressed U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island to order the administration to issue full benefits.

On November 6, McConnell ordered the administration to fully fund November SNAP benefits by the following day, which was quickly appealed by the Department of Justice.

The Supreme Court's Friday order gave the Boston-based First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals additional time to consider the administration's formal request to only partially fund the benefits.

As the legal fight plays out, SNAP recipients have turned to already strained food pantries and made sacrifices like forgoing medications to stretch tight budgets.

The MDHHS nomenklatura may yet be rescued from their SNAP folly by the 8 Democratic Senators who caved yesterday evening, allowing a vote on a resolution to end the government shutdown.  It should be noted that neither Michigan Senator - both Democrats - voted to end the shutdown.  See the highlighted text at the end of this article.

There is a good possibility that the federal shutdown will conclude before next weekend, but this will require the House of Representatives to accept the changes to the CR adopted by the Senate.  It is also possible that some Republican Senators may revolt against what is, in essence, a partial repeal of OBBBA:

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5597973-senate-votes-government-shutdown-deal/

Senate votes to advance proposal to end 40-day government shutdown
By Alexander Bolton - November 9, 2025

A group of shutdown-weary Democratic senators voted with Republicans Sunday night to advance a legislative vehicle to reopen the federal government and end the 40-day shutdown that has left tens of thousands of workers furloughed and caused chaos at the nation’s airports.

The Senate voted 60-40 to proceed to a House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government, taking a big first step toward ending the shutdown after a group of centrist Democrats negotiated a funding deal with Senate Republican colleagues and the White House.

Senate Democrats blocked that same House-passed bill to fund the government on 14 previous occasions.

But a group of centrist and retiring Democrats felt intense pressure to reopen the government after Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding expired on Nov. 1 and staff shortages among air traffic controllers resulted in major delays at airports.

Eight Democrats voted to take up the House bill.

The group included Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), who will retire at the end of the year, and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who represents more than 144,000 employees in his home state.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats, also voted yes. He worked closely with Shaheen and Hassan to craft the agreement to reopen the government.

Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) voted to end the shutdown, as well, reflecting the position they’ve held for weeks.

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) joined with her home-state colleague, Cortez Masto, in voting for the measure.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) now plans to amend the House-passed legislative vehicle with the compromise deal worked out with Shaheen, Hassan, King and other.

Shaheen, a member of the Appropriations committee, worked with Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), on the funding bills included in the package.

Shaheen, who is retiring at the end of next year, acknowledged that some of her Democratic colleagues aren’t happy with the deal, which does not include language to extend enhanced health insurance subsidies.

But she argued that keeping much of the federal government closed would only prolong the pain felt by millions of Americans and likely not result in a breakthrough on health-care costs.

“I understand that not all of my Democratic colleagues are satisfied with this agreement but waiting another week or another month wouldn’t deliver a better outcome. It would only mean more harm for families in New Hampshire,” Shaheen said at a press conference after the vote.

That proposal would fund military construction, veterans’ affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch though Sept. 30 of 2026.

It includes a stopgap measure to fund the rest of government through Jan. 30.

The compromise proposal includes language to retain more than 4,000 federal workers targeted for layoffs during the shutdown as well as language to prevent the Trump administration from firing additional federal workers through reductions in force (RIFs) for the length of the newly drafted continuing resolution — until Jan. 30.

Kaine was involved in negotiating the protections for federal workers.

Passage of the bill sets the stage for the House of Representatives to return to Washington after being away for seven weeks to vote to send the legislation to President Trump’s desk.

Thune agreed as part of the broader deal to schedule a vote later this year on legislation to extend the enhanced health insurance premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that are due to expire in January.

The Senate GOP leader, however, did not guarantee that any bill to extend the subsidies will pass the Senate or — if it passes the upper chamber — get a vote in the House.

Hassan and King focused on getting Thune to agree to a vote in December on extending enhanced health insurance subsidies.

The deal would ensure that a substantial portion of the federal government is funded through Sept. 30 with regular appropriations bills, a top Democratic priority, and it sets the stage for Congress to act on other regular spending bills funding the Pentagon and the Department of Health and Human Services.

It was cobbled together after weeks of negotiations between Shaheen, Hassan and King and Republican members of the Appropriations Committee as well as the Senate GOP leadership and the Trump White House.

Sunday’s vote capped weeks of intense negotiations, during which Democratic senators spent many hours in the Capitol basement trying to figure out a way to end the standoff.

Several Democrats who were involved in those talks, including Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who played a prominent role, ended up voting against proceeding to the legislative vehicle to reopen the government.

Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who participated in the meetings, also voted no.

Slotkin said she distanced herself from the negotiations when it became clear the deal would not include a language to extend the ACA subsidies in the bill to fund government.

“I was involved for many weeks then over the last couple weeks, it changed. Last week it changed so I wasn’t [involved] in the end game,” she told reporters after a Democratic caucus meeting Sunday evening.

“I always said it’s got to do something concrete on health care and it’s hard to see how that happened,” she said.

Not content to screw up just once, the MDHHS nomenklatura has decided to jump the SNAP shark a second time.  Note that USDA has not lifted their guidance of 08 November (above):

https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/inside-mdhhs/newsroom/2025/11/10/mdhhs-directs-snap-vendor-to-resume-issuing-full-payments-for-november

MDHHS directs SNAP vendor to resume issuing full payments for November
By Erin Stover - November 10, 2025

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has directed its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) EBT vendor to once again begin issuing full SNAP benefits to Michigan SNAP recipients.

SNAP recipients who normally receive their benefits on the ninth of the month should receive their full SNAP allotment within 48 hours. All other SNAP recipients should receive full benefit payments on their normally scheduled date. Those who receive monthly benefits on the third, fifth and seventh of the month previously received their benefits last week.

“We are glad to be able to provide assistance to Michigan families to help them put food on the table,” said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. “The uncertainty, confusion, and frustration caused by the USDA’s request to block SNAP payments for the more than one million Michigan residents who rely on food assistance has been unfair, and in Michigan, we will continue to do everything we can to help those affected.”

SNAP recipients are encouraged to reach out to their local MDHHS office with any questions regarding SNAP benefits or can check MI Bridges for updates.

To help feed families amid the federal government shutdown, Governor Whitmer recently announced the State of Michigan is providing $4.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan. This critical funding will help feed Michigan residents in all 83 counties and provide food delivery to those who can’t drive to their local food bank.

Whitmer also recently led a group of governors in a letter calling on the Trump Administration to prevent disruption to SNAP during the federal government shutdown.

Additionally, the Executive Office of the Governor and state departments have helped Michigan residents feed their families by:

*    Continuing Double Up Food Bucks, a program that gives Michigan families money to purchase groceries, including fresh fruits and vegetables.
*    Supporting Hunters Feeding Families, a program that helps Michiganders get venison or other fresh game to feed their families.
*    Continuing to feed all 1.4 million public school students free breakfast and lunch.

To find additional resources:

*    Dial 2-1-1 or visit www.mi211.org for free, confidential assistance and referrals to local food programs and support services.
*    Visit the Food Bank Council of Michigan to locate nearby food banks and learn about additional hunger relief efforts.
*    Call the Double Up Food Bucks program hotline at 866-586-2796, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Until Wednesday, Dec. 31, the program, which matches SNAP purchases of fruits and vegetables, will expand access so families can build up savings on their Double Up cards. Find a participating location near you: DoubleUpFoodBucks.org/find-a-location.

SNAP in Michigan

In FY 2024, the average SNAP household in Michigan received $335.03 in SNAP benefits per month, which is about $173 per person per month or $5.68 per person per day. Households with very low incomes receive more SNAP benefits than households closer to the poverty line because they need more help affording nutritious food.

492,225 children benefit from SNAP.
38,513 veterans participating in SNAP.
36% SNAP households have older adults.
43% SNAP households have children.
51% households have a person with a disability.
78% of SNAP households include someone with earned income.
In Michigan, more than 9,700 retailers accept SNAP. In 2023, retailers redeemed over $3.6 billion in SNAP.

To be eligible for SNAP in Michigan, applicants must be a U.S. citizen (or acceptable non-citizen status) and must live in Michigan. Eligibility is based on the financial situation of all members of a household. Everyone who lives together, purchases and prepares food together is considered a member of the same household group. In order to determine if a household is eligible for SNAP, MDHHS will review a household’s expenses, assets and income. Expenses include rent, mortgage, utility bills, child support and dependent care expenses. For individuals with a disability or who are at least 60 years old, medical care, medical supplies and health insurance premiums may be included as an expense.

Why the idiots at MDHHS should not have jumped the SNAP shark, again:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-allows-trump-administration-continue-snap-cutback-2025-11-11/

US Supreme Court extends pause on order requiring Trump to fully fund food aid
By John Kruzel - November 11, 2025

WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday extended a pause on a judge's order that required President Donald Trump's administration to fully fund food aid for 42 million low-income Americans this month amid the federal government shutdown, even as lawmakers took steps toward ending the stalemate.

The court's action allows the administration for now to continue withholding about $4 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps.

Lawyers for the administration told the justices on Monday that an end to the government shutdown would eliminate its need to halt the judge's order, so the court's extension of a pause issued last Friday by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson may prove short-lived.

Jackson, on Tuesday, wrote that she would have denied the administration's request to further halt the judge's order.
The extended pause is set to expire on Thursday.

The U.S. Senate on Monday approved compromise legislation that would end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, breaking a weeks-long stalemate that has disrupted food benefits for millions, left hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid and snarled air traffic.

SNAP benefits lapsed at the start of the month for the first time in the program's 60-year history. Recipients have turned to already strained food pantries and made sacrifices like forgoing medications to stretch tight budgets.

USDA will require all SNAP recipients to reapply.  This after red state audits turn up extensive fraud.  The blue states refused to share their SNAP data with USDA, which suggests they have even higher fraud rates.

Won't be long before the same demand is made of Medicaid recipients:

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5606715-agriculture-secretary-snap-reapply/

USDA head says ‘everyone’ on SNAP will now have to reapply
By Ashleigh Fields - November 14, 2025

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Thursday said the Trump administration is planning to have all Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries reapply for the program due to alleged fraud.

The secretary said after receiving data on SNAP recipients from 29 red states that “186,000 deceased men and women and children in this country are receiving a check.”

“Can you imagine when we get our hands on the blue state data what we’re going to find?” she asked during a Thursday appearance on Newsmax’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight.”

“It’s going to give us a platform and a trajectory to fundamentally rebuild this program, have everyone reapply for their benefit, make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayer-funded benefit through SNAP or food stamps, that they literally are vulnerable, and they can’t survive without it,” she added.

Every state has a periodic recertification process that requires SNAP or food stamp recipients to update their whereabouts and earnings, according to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Most municipalities require updated data every six to 12 months.

“Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends,” a USDA spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it. Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work. As well as ongoing analysis of State data, further regulatory work, and improved collaboration with States. “

Earlier this month, food stamps were threatened amid the government shutdown as the Trump administration argued against using contingency funds to fuel the welfare program.

Families and individuals are expected to receive benefits in full by Monday, Rollins said on Thursday.

More than 41 million Americans rely on the benefits to buy groceries, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

However, Rollins told Newsmax that 120 Americans have been arrested for committing SNAP fraud and on Thursday told CNN the program was “corrupt.”

“These are the things that we’re uncovering that, for years, no one has really ever dug into because the feds didn’t have the system in place to do it. But we do now,” the secretary told Newsmax.

“The president has made this a priority,” she added. “We will fix this program.”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel seems apprehensive about the prospect of every Michigan SNAP beneficiary having to reapply.  Does she know something we don't about SNAP fraud in Michigan?

https://michiganadvance.com/2025/11/18/at-roundtable-nessel-blasts-federal-snap-turmoil-as-michigan-communities-face-rising-need/

At roundtable, Nessel blasts federal SNAP turmoil as Michigan communities face rising need
By Katherine Dailey - November 18, 2025

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel held a roundtable with the Michigan League for Public Policy on Tuesday afternoon to discuss food security, specifically impacts of the lapse of SNAP during the federal government shutdown and the continuing attacks on the food aid program.

Advocates at the roundtable represented a number of groups, from the Midwest Independent Retailers Association to the Disability Network of Michigan, but all emphasized a similar underlying point — that SNAP and federal food assistance programs are necessary to ensure that people have enough food to eat.

“Families who are on these programs deserve dignity,” said Terrell Couch, the coalitions director at Detroit-based family and mother advocacy group Mothering Justice. “They deserve the opportunity for economic justice, and they deserve the opportunity to thrive in Michigan.”

SNAP benefits had been paused for the month of November during the federal government shutdown, though federal legal action by Nessel and other Democratic state attorneys general led some contingency funding to be released to partially fund the program, which has since restarted now that a federal budget has passed.

But changes to the program are still forthcoming — most recently, a change put forth by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins that would require every recipient of SNAP benefits to re-apply. That policy has not been officially put forward, though Nessel noted during the roundtable that if it did, her office would consider legal action against it.

“It’s a lose-lose situation in so many ways, and we can’t have a functioning, healthy society if people are desperate,” said Jen Schaap, the food & farming program director at the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities.

One criticism of the SNAP program nationally is errors in the administration of the program, which could result in either overpayment or underpayment of benefits. Michigan’s error rate for SNAP in 2024 stood at 9.53% — below the national rate, but above the 6% threshold that states are supposed to meet.

Neil Giovanatti, an assistant attorney general under Nessel in charge of the Federal Accountability Unit, noted that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, who manage the program, are working to lower that rate — but that an overwhelming surge of federal changes is actually making it worse.

“The barrage of actions from FNS [the Food and Nutrition Service] that is being taken against states that appear to be intentionally designed to force states to have high error rates,” he said. “That appears to be an intentional action by FNS to create this problem for the states.”

A number of the advocates present at the roundtable expressed that the threats to SNAP are part of a broader attack on the lives of low-income Americans.

“This is the beginning as to what we believe is a campaign to create destabilization among folks who are low-income,” said Sarah Prout Rennie, the senior director of advocacy and engagement for the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness. “People’s lives will be lost.”

“We view this as another piece of anti-immigrant legislation, that they’re really trying to starve our community out in more ways than one,” added Cindy Gamboa, the executive director of MI Poder, a Latinx advocacy group.

So when we have the government, for one reason or another, cut off these programs, they’re essentially just taking our money. And it really begs the question, why are we paying federal taxes, if then the money’s not going to come back to us?

– Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel

The importance of food access, across the board, was driven home by Nessel throughout the roundtable.

“I don’t know what’s more important than people having the ability to eat,” she said.

And crucially, Nessel added, though they work hard, food banks and charities cannot sustain adequate food assistance at the same magnitude of a federal program like SNAP, calling it “misinformation” to say that they would be able to take care of the problem.

“Food pantries can’t keep up,” Gamboa said. “I’ve seen mile-long food lines of people lining up to get boxes from Gleaners [Community Food Bank in Detroit] in my community.”

Other roundtable participants stressed the importance of SNAP funding on local retailers and farmers, many of whom rely on customers using SNAP dollars to make ends meet.

“Every dollar invested in local farms and markets returns to our communities many times over, in jobs, local economic activity, healthier families and strengthened food security,” noted Joe Lesausky, Food Access Director at the Michigan Farmers’ Market Association. “Farmers are ready to grow the food we need. Farmers markets are ready to distribute it. Our communities are ready to support a stronger local food community. What we need now is the commitment to ensure that the funding and policy keep pace with the realities farmers are facing.”

“Because SNAP pays for itself, I really want people to realize that this is an intentional attack on folks who are in poverty, who are homeless, and who are insecurely housed,” Rennie added, referencing statistics from Jerry Griffin of the Midwest Independent Retailers Association on how SNAP money being paid into local retailers produces about $1.80 into local economies per dollar of SNAP funding spent.

“We cannot have food security without farmer security,” Lesausky continued.

Data security was a concern among participants as well, as it was at another roundtable hosted in Grand Rapids last week by Nessel’s office. Those concerns are especially significant among immigrant populations, and Nessel’s team has previously been granted a preliminary injunction blocking data-sharing of SNAP recipient information with the Department of Homeland Security.

“People need to feel comfortable that when they’re accessing these resources that are not only important for them, but also for the state, that their data is not being used against them, that they’re able to have some safety in using these programs,” said Rima Meroueh, the director of the National Network for Arab American Communities at ACCESS.

“Food insecurity is not new, but now with these threats and quite frankly, attacks on our community, our community does not know who to trust,” Gamboa added.

Nessel expressed frustration with the federal government not properly disbursing funding for federal programs, including SNAP, that are congressionally appropriated and required to go to states.

“This was our money to begin with,” Nessel said. “Here we are, paying well over $30 billion a year to the federal government. So when we have the government, for one reason or another, cut off these programs, they’re essentially just taking our money. And it really begs the question, why are we paying federal taxes, if then the money’s not going to come back to us?”

Just to set our devious, lying Attorney General straight, Michigan runs a $ 29 billion average annual surplus with the federal government according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government.  And this number excludes COVID spending, which takes Michigan's annual average surplus up to $ 43.6 billion:

https://rockinst.org/issue-areas/fiscal-analysis/balance-of-payments-portal/

Michigan AG Dana Nessel is suing USDA to overturn the language of the OBBBA on SNAP benefits for aliens.  She continues to represent the secret Democratic state Attorneys General cartel.

From The Hill:

"The sweeping budget legislation, signed into law by President Trump in July, enacted significant changes to SNAP. It expanded work requirements to groups previously exempt from them, changed eligibility for noncitizens and enacted penalties for noncompliance by states.

The federal government funds the program monthly, while states administer SNAP benefits. The USDA issued new guidance in accordance with the OBBB on Oct. 31, one day before the end of the 120-day exclusionary period for states to adhere to the changes.

The changes to the program restricted SNAP eligibility to three groups of noncitizens: lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian entrants and those lawfully residing in the U.S. from Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau.

Lawful permanent residents are only eligible for SNAP benefits after a five-year waiting period, given they meet other requirements."

AG Nessel's press release:

https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2025/11/26/ag-nessel-sues-to-block-unlawful-snap-eligibility-guidance

AG Nessel Sues to Block Unlawful SNAP Eligibility Guidance
By Danny Wimmer - November 26, 2025

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today joined 21 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit (PDF) to stop the federal government from unlawfully cutting off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for thousands of lawful permanent residents. Attorney General Nessel and the coalition are seeking to block new guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that incorrectly treats several groups of legal immigrants as ineligible for food assistance, including permanent residents who were granted asylum or admitted as refugees. The attorneys general argue that the guidance contradicts federal law and could impose massive financial penalties on states. They ask the court to declare the guidance unlawful.

“The law is clear on who can receive SNAP benefits, yet the Trump Administration is trying to strip rightful recipients of the support they need to feed their families,” Nessel said. “It is my hope that the Court puts an end to this unlawful guidance and stops the White House’s ongoing chaos and confusion over Americans’ ability to put food on the table.”

On October 31, USDA issued new guidance to state SNAP agencies, describing changes to program eligibility under the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which narrowed eligibility for certain non-citizen groups, including refugees, asylum recipients, and others admitted under humanitarian protection programs. The USDA memo, however, incorrectly asserted that all individuals who entered the country through these humanitarian pathways would remain permanently ineligible for SNAP, even after obtaining green cards and becoming lawful permanent residents. Last week, Attorney General Nessel and 20 other attorneys general formally called on the federal administration to clarify its position or withdraw and correct the memo. The USDA has not replied.

Attorney General Nessel and the coalition emphasize that this position does not align with the “One Big Beautiful Bill” or any other federal law. Federal statutes make clear that refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, individuals whose deportation has been withheld, and other vulnerable legal immigrants become eligible for SNAP once they obtain their green cards and meet standard program requirements. The attorneys general argue that USDA’s memo illegally rewrites those rules and threatens to cut off food assistance for people who are fully eligible under the law.

The attorneys general argue that USDA’s guidance also misapplies the agency’s own regulations. Federal rules give states a 120-day grace period after new guidance is issued to adjust their systems without facing severe financial penalties. USDA is now claiming that this period expired on November 1, just one day after the guidance was released and before states even had a single business day to review it. The coalition argues that this interpretation is impossible under USDA’s own regulations, which state that the 120-day period cannot begin until new guidance is actually issued. And because the statute also imposes a financial penalty on states that USDA determines have unacceptable error rates in administering the program, USDA is exposing states to major financial penalties for errors caused by the agency’s late and inaccurate memo, as well as its disregard of its own rules.

States have already begun implementing the statutory changes enacted earlier this year, but USDA’s abrupt and incorrect guidance now forces them to overhaul eligibility systems overnight. The attorneys general warn that this will create widespread confusion for families, increase the risk of wrongful benefit terminations, erode public trust, and place states in an untenable situation where they must either violate federal law or accept severe financial liability. The attorneys general are asking the court to vacate the unlawful guidance and block its implementation to ensure that families do not lose critical food assistance.

Joining Attorney General Nessel in this lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

USDA will withhold administrative fees from states which refuse to turn over SNAP data.  It is becoming clear that their is a lot of SNAP fraud and it goes well beyond the sneaker market:

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/02/rollins-says-she-will-withhold-federal-funding-to-states-that-wont-send-sensitive-snap-data-00673265

Rollins threatens to halt funding to states withholding SNAP data
More than a dozen blue states have sued USDA, arguing that its request for sensitive data on federal food aid participants is unlawful.

By Marcia Brown - December 2, 2025

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says USDA "will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states until they comply and they tell us and allow us to partner with them to root out this fraud and to protect the American taxpayer." | Getty Images

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Tuesday she plans to withhold federal funding from states that refuse to comply with USDA’s request for data about food aid recipients.

“As of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states until they comply and they tell us and allow us to partner with them to root out this fraud and to protect the American taxpayer,” Rollins said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, specifically calling out California, New York and Minnesota and other “blue states.”

More than a dozen states have sued the administration to halt the Trump administration’s demands to turn over sensitive data about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants, arguing that the data request is illegal and that the information gathered would likely be used for Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown. The states won a preliminary injunction in October to halt the data request, but it’s not clear how the threat Rollins made Tuesday will impact the ongoing litigation.

A spokesperson for USDA confirmed Rollins’ intentions, but did not clarify how the move will affect the lawsuit.

“We have sent Democrat States yet another request for data, and if they fail to comply, they will be provided with formal warning that USDA will pull their administrative funds,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “USDA established a SNAP integrity team to analyze not only data provided by states, but to scrub all available information to end indiscriminate welfare fraud.”

Rollins’ latest comments come as states are scrambling to implement major changes to SNAP, including stricter work requirements and more limited eligibility for legal immigrants — and on the heels of a weekslong pause in benefits during the government shutdown. Some states are also preparing to implement new restrictions on what SNAP recipients can buy, such as bans on soda, as part of the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. And USDA is writing new regulations to further limit access to the nation’s biggest nutrition assistance program.

USDA asked states in May to send sensitive data, including Social Security numbers and the total value of benefits participants have received over time, to the federal government as part of an initiative to go after fraud in SNAP. More than two dozen states so far have done so.

Rollins also recently said that SNAP participants would have to reapply for benefits as part of her anti-fraud push. Participants already must recertify their eligibility regularly, and USDA later clarified that initial statement, saying that SNAP participants would be following normal recertification procedures.

Separately, 21 states and the District of Columbia are suing over USDA’s interpretation of Republicans’ domestic spending package, alleging that its reading of the law making certain lawfully-present immigrants ineligible for SNAP is wrong.

You didn't hear it from Gov. Whitmer.

Michigan CapCon develops the competing narratives.

https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/news/whitmer-says-snap-abuse-rare-capcon-investigation-says-otherwise

Whitmer says SNAP abuse rare; CapCon investigation says otherwise

SNAP fraud pushed lawmaker to upgrade to chipped SNAP cards

By Scott McClallen | December 8, 2025

Abuse in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is rare, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on Caleb Hammer’s Financial Audit show.

Hammer, who attended Central Michigan University before dropping out and starting a popular podcast, is the Dave Ramsey of younger generations. He’s known for bashing the poor financial decisions of young people, such as spending more than one makes and not investing for retirement.

He audited Michigan’s spending and taxing, noting that 44% of Michigan’s budget funds Health and Human Services.

Hammer has interviewed multiple people on his show who admit to committing SNAP fraud. He asked if the SNAP program discouraged people from working.

“I want people to have assistance who need assistance, especially those who fall back. It’s a safety net. … But I’ve had so many people on this show, where they are specifically choosing not to go work more hours because then they’ll be taken off benefits,” Hammer said. “And I’m wondering, even though I want to support people who fall on hard times, obviously, because they are human beings. Have we set up our systems in a way, let’s say the state of Michigan, where we’re also discouraging people from going out there and being contributors?”

Whitmer responded: “That is an obscene, and I think, rare, example where the system is not perfect. We want to incentivize work. We want people to be gainfully employed and not reliant on state funding. But we recognize that there are a lot of people who are, right now, struggling to just take care of their daily needs.”

“I understand that you’ve had people suggest that you could move to Michigan and get benefits that you can’t get elsewhere; that’s just not true.”

An investigation by Michigan Capitol Confidential found a different kind of fraud, one which drains funds from the accounts of program participants. That investigation pushed the state health department to upgrade its security system after Michigan paid an extra $14 million due to fraud in 2024. A new estimate for 2025 should be released in February 2026.

Michigan’s food stamp program will have a higher level of security starting Jan. 1. The program, which benefits 1.4 million people, will be reformed with newer and more secure Bridge Cards, a move that follows a months-long Michigan Capitol Confidential investigation that the Michigan House Oversight Committee noticed.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and federal partners say they’ve fought back by seizing 44 skimmers at gas stations, grocery stores and liquor stores, protecting $16 million in benefits and 76,000 accounts, according to documents obtained through a records request. In 2024 alone, Michigan replaced more than 269,000 lost, stolen or compromised Bridge Cards, allowing up to four replacements per household before it requires an explanation.