The Justice Department seeks an emergency stay to halt billions in food stamp disbursements ordered by a lower court — as millions of Americans face uncertainty and state leaders vow to deliver aid despite political gridlock.
The move came just hours after the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration’s emergency stay request, affirming a lower court order that required the government to pay out full SNAP benefits to more than 42 million Americans.
In the filing, Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the high court to intervene “by no later than 9:30 p.m. Friday,” warning that distributing billions in benefits could result in an “irretrievable transfer of funds” that might undermine other federal nutrition and social welfare programs.
“Once those billions are out the door, there is no ready mechanism for the government to recover those funds — to the significant detriment of other critical social programs,” Sauer wrote in the government’s brief.
The emergency application was directed to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who oversees such matters for the 1st Circuit. Jackson may decide on the stay individually or refer the matter to the full Supreme Court.
