BOSTON — U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued an order Friday temporarily blocking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from suspending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in Massachusetts and other plaintiff states.
The decision, filed Oct. 31 in Commonwealth of Massachusetts et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture et al., follows a lawsuit by the Commonwealth seeking emergency relief to prevent the USDA from halting SNAP payments scheduled for Nov. 1.
Last night on X (formerly Twitter), Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said the court order requires the USDA to use contingency funds to keep SNAP running during the federal government shutdown and warned that delays in restoring funding will harm families.
While this is a step in the right direction, Americans will begin feeling the impact of these devastating cuts starting tomorrow.
— AG Andrea Joy Campbell (@MassAGO) October 31, 2025
I'll never stop fighting for our people – but the federal govt must now act and restore funding. The longer they delay, the more people suffer.
“While this is a step in the right direction, Americans will begin feeling the impact of these devastating cuts starting tomorrow,” Massachusetts Attorney General Campbell said in reference to the fact that SNAP benefits were scheduled to stop being funded today. She added, “I’ll never stop fighting for our people – but the federal government must now act and restore funding. The longer they delay, the more people suffer.”
According to the court’s memorandum and order, the plaintiffs “have standing to bring this action and are likely to succeed on their claim that defendants’ suspension of SNAP benefits is unlawful.”
Judge's order on SNAP benefits by MassLive
Judge Talwani wrote that if the USDA’s decision “rested on an erroneous construction of the relevant statutory provisions,” the court would allow the agency to determine whether it can authorize at least reduced SNAP benefits for November.
The USDA was ordered to report back to the court by Monday, November 3, 2025, indicating whether it will authorize those payments.
Congress established the Food Stamp Program in 1964, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to help low-income households afford nutritious food through regular retail channels.
According to ConsumerAffairs.com, in Massachusetts, the average weekly grocery cost is about $272, which is slightly higher than the national average of roughly $270 per week.
Grocery prices in Massachusetts rose about 3.3 percent over the past year, slightly above the national increase of 2.7 percent, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, Boston-Cambridge-Newton — July 2025.
The case remains pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
