Trump Pushes Millions Toward Hunger as Supreme Court Blocks Food Aid After His Appeal

For millions of Americans who depend on food assistance to get by, Friday night brought another cruel twist. The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked an order that would have forced the Trump administration to restart full payments under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — better known as SNAP.

The ruling came after days of confusion, frustration, and fear. Across the country, families who rely on those benefits have been calling hotlines and visiting food banks, only to hear that funds have run dry. It’s the first time in the 61-year history of SNAP that payments were disrupted nationwide.

Earlier this week, a federal judge had ordered the Trump administration to immediately release the money owed to states. He said the government had failed to fix its own mistakes and warned that “people will go hungry” if nothing was done.

But within hours of that decision, the administration rushed to appeal. By late Friday, they took their case all the way to the Supreme Court — and won a temporary freeze. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson signed the order allowing the government to hold off on making full payments while the legal fight continues.

For families waiting on help, it means another week — or maybe longer — of uncertainty.

Adding to the chaos, the Department of Agriculture told states it would “begin the process” of sending out benefits, even as the administration’s lawyers were asking the courts to stop those very payments. That mixed message left governors scrambling to figure out what to tell their residents.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said food benefits had “begun flowing again,” but warned that many families still hadn’t received anything. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the state would cover the gap itself. “President Trump’s actions have been senseless and un-American,” she said. “I’ll never stop fighting for New York’s families.”

The stakes couldn’t be higher. More than 42 million Americans — roughly one in eight households — depend on SNAP to buy food. The average benefit is just $188 per person each month, or about $6 a day. Even a short delay can mean empty fridges and skipped meals.

Food banks are already seeing lines grow longer. Many say they’re running out of supplies after trying to fill the gap left by the federal freeze. “This is not sustainable,” one pantry director in Philadelphia said. “We’re seeing people who have never come here before.

The Trump administration insists it’s simply following budget rules, arguing it doesn’t have legal authority to spend beyond what’s left in emergency funds. Critics say that’s an excuse — and that politics, not law, is driving the delay.

Judge Jack McConnell, who issued the original order to restore funding, was blunt: “People have gone without for too long. Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable.”

The case will now return to the appeals court. But for millions of low-income families, that process could take weeks. Each passing day means more worry, more waiting, and more meals missed.

Featured image via Youtube screengrab