U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks as he and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer hold a press conference on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank annual meetings in Washington, D.C., U.S., Oct. 15, 2025.
Ken Cedeno | Reuters
SNAP food benefits could restart as early as Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday morning.
Two federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must use emergency funds to pay SNAP benefits, which help feed 42 million Americans, during the government shutdown.
Judge Jack McConnell of Rhode Island also directed that these be paid out of emergency funds “as soon as possible.” Boston Judge Indira Talwani gave the administration until Monday to tell her if it will authorize at least reduced SNAP benefits for November.
The administration was originally set to cut off the aid on Nov. 1.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Bessent said that the administration would not appeal the court ruling, while adding that finding the funds to pay SNAP benefits by Wednesday “could be” done.
“There’s a process that has to be followed. So, we’ve got to figure out what the process is,” the Treasury secretary said.
On Friday, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that the government was exploring its options to restart SNAP.
“I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,” the president wrote. “Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.”