(MENAFN) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) instructed states on Sunday to immediately reverse any actions taken to issue full food assistance benefits for November, calling such payments “unauthorized,” according to an official memorandum.

Deputy Under Secretary Patrick A. Penn, in updated guidance on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), directed states to cancel any full benefit distributions and continue issuing only partial payments. “States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025,” Penn stated in the memo.

The directive followed a Supreme Court decision granting the USDA an administrative stay on a lower court ruling from Rhode Island that had ordered full SNAP payments to resume.

Penn cautioned that any state failing to comply could face penalties, including the withdrawal of federal funding for administrative costs or being held responsible for any overpayments. The memo further instructed states to maintain partial benefit processing and to avoid sending full benefit files to payment processors.

The announcement came amid ongoing disruption caused by the record-length federal government shutdown, during which President Donald Trump warned that food assistance funding could be halted because the government’s $5 billion contingency reserve could not be accessed during the closure.

After negotiations, the Trump administration authorized partial SNAP payments—commonly referred to as food stamps—until the shutdown concluded, though officials cautioned that the disbursement process could take weeks.

According to the USDA, $4.65 billion in contingency funds would be used to cover roughly 65% of eligible households’ benefits, while the department opted not to utilize additional funds intended for child nutrition programs.

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