Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hunger Pains And Confusion Grow As Courts, States, Trump Battle Over SNAP
The Washington Post: Appeals Court Backs Ruling Requiring Full SNAP Benefit Payments For November
A U.S. appeals court Sunday night denied the Trump administration’s efforts to stop the release of full funding for November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments as ordered by a lower court judge. ... The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision, prolonging the tug-of-war over the nation’s largest public initiative to combat hunger. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Friday temporarily blocked the district court order until the 1st Circuit issued its ruling. The Supreme Court’s administrative stay will expire 48 hours after the 1st Circuit’s ruling. (Masih, Grandoni and Berman,11/10)
Politico: Trump Administration Tells States To ‘Undo’ Full SNAP Benefits
The Trump administration is telling states not to pay full November food stamp benefits, revising its previous guidance after winning a temporary victory at the Supreme Court on Friday. USDA’s latest memo, sent Saturday to state directors of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, instructed states to deliver just 65 percent of benefits during the government shutdown and required those who already sent full payments to claw back that money. (Shin, 11/9)
New Hampshire Public Radio: November SNAP Benefits Paid Out In Full In NH, After A Week Of Confusion And Uncertainty
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services says SNAP benefits for November have been paid, even as the long term status of the food assistance program remains in limbo amid a series of court rulings. (Dario and Harris, 11/8)
The Baltimore Sun: Trump Administration Told States To 'Undo' Food Stamp Benefits. Maryland Will Forge Ahead.
President Donald Trump’s administration told states over the weekend to reverse any actions they took to provide food aid amid a government shutdown that leaves federal benefits uncertain — though Maryland appears unlikely to change its plan to spend $62 million to help state residents who depend on food stamps. (Swick, 11/9)
The Guardian: Snap Workers Rebuke Trump Administration Over Funding: ‘Using Our Country’s Poorest As Pawns’
“It’s hard to look someone in the face who’s telling you they can’t feed their family, and be able to try to guide them to other avenues to try to get some food for their household. We have community food banks, and we have food pantries, and they’re they’re already maxed out,” said Stacy Smith, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2882, who works as an eligibility technician for assistance programs including Snap in Providence, Rhode Island. (Sainato, 11/10)
Iowa Public Radio: Refugees And Other Immigrants In Iowa Learn They're No Longer Eligible For SNAP Benefits
Refugees in Iowa are learning they are no longer eligible for SNAP benefits. The federal government has ordered states to start enforcing a part of the One Big Beautiful Bill that cuts off food assistance for refugees and many other types of immigrants with legal status. (Sostaric, 11/7)
The New York Times: In Alaska And Hawaii, Higher Food Prices Intensified SNAP Anxiety
Some residents are receiving benefits, but the uncertainty over the past weeks has burdened many in the two states, where the cost of food is the highest in the nation. (Foist, Truesdale, Hippensteel and Morales, 11/9)
The 19th: The Fight Over SNAP Benefits Continues — And So Does The Mom Guilt
Love Dyer doesn’t know what to expect when her federal food benefits — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — refill later this month. Amid a legal battle between the Trump administration and judges trying to restore aid, the Atlanta mom is wary of letting her guard down and trusting that things could soon be back to normal. (Rodriguez, 11/7)
Also —
The Conversation: National 211 Hotline Calls For Food Assistance Quadrupled In A Matter Of Days, A Magnitude Typically Seen During Disasters
As the government shutdown entered its fourth week in late October, states began to warn residents that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, sometimes known as food stamps, would likely be affected. Nearly 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits each month. Over the next several days, calls to 211 from people seeking food pantries doubled to over 2,200 per day. (Kreuter and Garg, 11/8)
