The US Department of Agriculture ordered states to cease issuing full food stamp benefits and to “immediately undo” steps taken to issue full benefits for the month of November, after a Supreme Court justice on Friday evening temporarily paused a lower court order requiring the agency to pay 42 million Americans their full allotments.
In the Saturday directive, obtained by CNN, the USDA warned states who failed to comply that they could face a cancellation of federal cost-sharing of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, as well as holding states financially responsible for over issuances of benefits.
This latest directive leaves in limbo the roughly 1 in 8 Americans who depend on the nation’s larger anti-hunger program.
The directive follows a memorandum from the department on Friday saying it was working to fully fund food stamp benefits for November to comply with a federal court order, and the process should be completed later Friday.
Several states had quickly pounced on the news, saying the money should start flowing to recipients in coming days.
