Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, president Food Research & Action Center
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2025 – The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) is heartened by the Rhode Island federal court’s order released on November 1 that provides essential legal clarity that the Trump administration has the authority and obligation to fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The court found that Congress made SNAP an entitlement, meaning contingency funds—and, if needed, other available funds—should be used to ensure full benefit payments during a government shutdown.
We are thrilled that the court’s order will help ensure tens of millions of families can access the food assistance they are legally entitled to—though it should never have required a lawsuit to get here.
The court also determined that it is very likely the administration acted unlawfully in both cutting off SNAP funding and seeking to end insufficient job waivers early in 17 states. These waivers protect individuals in areas with too few jobs to meet program requirements.
Now is the time for the administration to provide November benefits and reinstate the insufficient job waivers. The administration must move quickly and without delay to limit the harm that its resistance to following the law is causing for the 42 million people, including millions of children, working parents, older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans, who rely on SNAP to keep food on the table.
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The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.