Ali Bers

"These immediate, predictable, and unchallenged harms facing forty-two million Americans who rely on SNAP benefits -- including fourteen million children -- weigh heavily against a stay."

The harm from a stay would be immense. The government, understandably, makes no attempt to argue otherwise. As we have already noted, tens of millions of Americans rely on monthly SNAP benefits to pay for food. In support of their motion for a TRO, the plaintiffs provided overwhelming evidence of the harms that even a short suspension of benefits would cause, including numerous declarations from SNAP beneficiaries and those who serve them. Those declarations describe a pregnant mother in Georgia forced to skip meals to feed her son; a working grandfather in Massachusetts who would eat twice instead of three times a day to feed his family; a mother in North Carolina who worries about how feeding her three children less will affect their health; and a nonprofit leader in Rhode Island whose clients will be forced to choose whether to "heat or eat" as the holidays approach and winter bears down on New England.

"(T)ens of millions of Americans rely on
monthly SNAP benefits to pay for food. In support of their motion for a TRO, plaintiffs provided overwhelming evidence of the harms that even a short suspension of benefits would cause, including numerous declarations from SNAP beneficiaries"

RIKELMAN, Circuit Judge. Forty-two million people, one out of every eight Americans, use monthly benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy food for themselves and their families. On October 24, 2025, a few weeks into the current government shutdown, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers SNAP funding on behalf of the federal government, announced it would not provide any funds for November SNAP benefits. The plaintiffs in this case -- nonprofits, local governments, a union, and a food retailer -- sued to require USDA to provide full November benefits using SNAP contingency funds Congress had appropriated for this very purpose, as well as other funds available to USDA. The district court granted a temporary restraining order requiring the government to provide either full SNAP payments by November 3 or partial payments by November 5. The government elected to provide partial benefits. On Thursday, November 6, the district court determined that the government had failed to comply with the order because it did not provide partial payments in a timely manner; it thus ordered the full payment of SNAP funds for November. The government now asks us to stay that order in its entirety pending its appeal. We deny that reques

"The district court determined that the gov't had failed to comply with the order because it did not provide partial payments in a timely manner; it thus ordered the full payment of SNAP funds for Nov. The gov't now asks us to stay that order in its entirety pending its appeal. We deny that request"

Why I Am Resigning A federal judge explains his reasoning for leaving the bench.

A distinguished federal judge appointed by President Reagan steps down to free himself to fight publicly for the rule of law. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

This is an absolutely insane administrative process. Within the space of a week, states were told by judges/White House
*no SNAP benefits
*half benefits
*full benefits
*pause provision of benefits.
Result is chaos, uncertainty, and uneven access to benefits depending on where people live.

Trump Administration Demands States ‘Undo’ Work to Send Full Food Stamps

NEW: The Trump admin told states it must immediately "undo" the work to provide full food stamp benefits, or face penalties. The feds sent this in a late-night memo, only adding to the chaos and confusion around SNAP. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/b...

The Trump administration tells the Supreme Court it can’t be compelled to fully fund SNAP because paying out the money would “irreparably harm” the government, while SNAP beneficiaries … *won’t* be irreparably harmed by going hungry? The balance of equities here is completely upside down.

SNAP UPDATE: I’m directing SNAP benefits to be processed today — and paid IN FULL starting tomorrow.

Americans are going hungry because President Trump chose to play politics with their lives.

People need to eat. We’re making sure they do.

Why Medicare Recipients Should Check Their 2026 Drug Plans Now

Why Medicare Recipients Should Check Their 2026 Drug Plans Now www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/b...

Trump pushes an end to medical care for transgender youth nationally The White House plans to bar hospitals that treat transgender children and youth from getting any Medicare and Medicaid payments. The move would affect trans youth who have private insurance, too.

(con't.) -- Medicare/Medicaid rule would be huge expansion of Presidential power to ban any care (abortion, IVF, mifepristone) it doesn't like. Trump has relied on intimidation until now to stop hospitals; new rules will finally subject this to tests of legality in court. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social

This week’s main story details what Medicare Advantage is, why it basically has all the pitfalls of private insurance, and what a Mountain Chicken is. And if you don’t already know what a Mountain Chicken is, go ahead and visualize a “Mountain Chicken” in your head now. Great. It’s not that.

Another shutdown casualty: Medicare telehealth coverage It's got bipartisan support—and millions of Americans need it. But Congress keeps failing to lock in telehealth funding.

Another shutdown casualty: Medicare telehealth coverage

Four in ten who buy their own coverage say they would go without coverage if ACA premiums doubled. They will increase 114% if enhanced tax credits are not extended: on.kff.org/4nACyIk

New: Broad support across the political spectrum for extending enhanced ACA premium tax credits.

I can’t say I know exactly how it all would have played out, but I would much rather live in the alternate universe where the leaders of Columbia University had stood up for the institution and all of its faculty and students.

Observation Status Appeal Results in Hospital Coverage - Center for Medicare Advocacy New appeals process brought about by CMA litigation works!

This week a Medicare beneficiary won a retrospective change of status appeal that granted him coverage of costly hospital services. The appeal was made possible by the Center for Medicare Advocacy’s class action case, litigated with amazing co-counsel @justiceinaging.org & @wilsonsonsini.bsky.social

F.D.A.’s Approval of a Drug for Autism Upends Review Process

Great digging by Christina Jewett:
Dr. Oz previously acted as a pitchman for iHerb, which sells the vitamin supplement that he promoted as an autism treatment sitting during Trump’s press conference, and which the FDA is moving to approve for that use

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...

Trump administration set to tie Tylenol to autism risk, officials say The Trump administration plans to tie Tylenol to autism risk while touting another drug, leucovorin, as a potential autism treatment.

We can save RFK Jr some time here, because we already know a lot about acetaminophen and autism!

There’s no increased risk of autism from use of this drug. This isn’t based on some small study. It’s thanks to a beautiful study of literally millions of children…
wapo.st/4nkMdCO

15 years after it passed, we're still debating Obamacare.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Coalition Seeks Transparency as 100,000 Lawfully Present Immigrants Face Loss of Medicare Coverage - Center for Medicare Advocacy Washington, DC – A coalition of national advocacy organizations has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ...

We filed a FOIA request along with @justiceinaging.org, @nilc.org, and @rcusa.bsky.social seeking transparency as the “Big Beautiful Bill” strips thousands of lawfully present immigrants of Medicare, regardless of how long they worked and paid Medicare taxes.

The Pitt has plans to tackle stories next season related to federal health care cuts. I've got some ideas in a new column out in @jama.com.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

“Appealing a coverage denial demands a high degree of health insurance literacy and fortitude that most of us lack, especially in a health crisis….Thus, health care becomes rationed not through a final denial of coverage, but rather through accumulations of inconveniences as patients.”

Well that got fixed quickly

Go Massachusetts!

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/04/m...

Judge Sooknanan: As I said at the start of this hearing, I got a call at 2:36 am [last night] because the government chose the wee hours of the morning on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend to execute a plan to move these children. That's why we're here.

We will be in court shortly.

BREAKING: We filed an emergency lawsuit to stop the Trump admin from unlawfully expelling hundreds of unaccompanied Guatemalan children from the U.S.

The targeting of children is vile. We will use every tool at our disposal to stop the administration from sending any child to danger.

My Medicare Part D for 2026 is a 50% increase and I’m subsidized through Extra Help. Completely insane. I’ve been on Medicare since 2009 and I’ve never experienced this type of increase.

Health officials under JB Pritzker, who is showing how to take on Trump, are moving forward. They're exploring buying vaccines in bulk themselves.

Mass. Gov Maura Healey is in talks with multiple other states about coordinating purchasing of pediatric vaccines.

newrepublic.com/article/1998...

Blue states can also buy vaccines in bulk and distribute them via their chief medical officer or via doctors, says @sbagen.bsky.social.

The idea would be to make vaccines available to all, including those restricted under RFK lunacy.

Great stuff from Sam here:

newrepublic.com/article/1998...

“The companies represent ‘a whole new bounty hunter,’ said David A. Lipschutz, the co-director for the Center for Medicare Advocacy, one of the groups that has urged government officials to abandon the program.”