By Sunayana Prabhu
TRENTON – Full November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will remain available to New Jersey residents after a federal court temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to cancel them, following a legal challenge led by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and 22 other states.
On Nov. 10, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted a temporary restraining order halting the administration’s directive that would claw back SNAP payments issued in compliance with an earlier court order. The decision preserves full food assistance for millions of low-income Americans while the case proceeds.
“We will not stand by as the Trump Administration attempts to rip food away from the tables of New Jerseyans on SNAP benefits,” Platkin said in a statement Nov.10. “New Jersey SNAP recipients have access to their full November 2025 benefits, and we are fighting to ensure that they remain able to feed their families.”
The legal dispute began after a Nov. 6 ruling by the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make full benefits available nationwide. Following that decision, the USDA directed states to issue full payments, prompting New Jersey to release its November benefits.
“We acted immediately in accordance with Judge McConnell’s Thursday ruling to ensure these delayed benefits were available as soon as possible,” Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman said in a statement. “This unprecedented delay left hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans without food for their families.”
Adelman said the full benefits were reflected on residents’ EBT cards Friday morning, crediting schools, food banks, nonprofits and volunteers for helping families weather the disruption.
“But make no mistake – there will be a lasting impact for many families, as well as our food banks and pantries,” she said. “And we will continue to advocate for clear, timely action by the Trump Administration to ensure families do not face this undeserved uncertainty again.”
The situation escalated when the USDA reversed its position a day later, directing states to retract the benefits and warning that they could face financial penalties for failing to comply. That directive came late Saturday night, after many New Jersey residents had already used their benefits to buy groceries, Platkin’s office said.
The coalition’s lawsuit argues that states should not be penalized for following a federal court order and USDA guidance.
More than 42 million Americans rely on SNAP, the nation’s largest federal nutrition assistance program.
The article originally appeared in the November 13 – 19, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
