Chelle🐚🧜🏽‍♀️

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS ET AL., Plaintiffs, V. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ET AL., Defendants. * * * * * * * * * * * Civil Action No. 1:25-cv-13165-IT MEMORANDUM AND ORDER October 31, 2025 TALWANI, D.J. Pending before the court is Plaintiffs' Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order [Doc. No. 3] seeking to enjoin, on an emergency basis, Defendants' November 1, 2025 suspension of benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ("SNAP"). For the reasons stated below, Plaintiffs have standing to bring this action and are likely to succeed on their claim that Defendants' suspension of SNAP benefits is unlawful. Where that suspension of benefits rested on an erroneous construction of the relevant statutory provisions, the court will allow Defendants to consider whether they will authorize at least reduced SNAP benefits for November, and report back to the court no later than Monday, November 3, 2025.

A. Likelihood of Success on the Merits Plaintiffs have demonstrated a strong likelihood of success on the merits of their claim under the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 706(2)(A), (C), that Defendants' suspension of SNAP benefits is contrary to law. At core, Defendants' conclusion that USDA is statutorily prohibited from funding SNAP because Congress has not enacted new appropriations for the current fiscal year is erroneous. To the contrary, Defendants are statutorily mandated to use the previously appropriated SNAP contingency reserve when necessary and also have discretion to use other previously appropriated funds as detailed below.

As both parties acknowledge, Congress has not yet appropriated any new funds for SNAP benefits for Fiscal Year 2026, which began on October 1, 2025. Pls.' Mem. 6 [Doc. No. 4]; Defs.' Opp'n 7 [Doc. No. 18]. But Congress took steps to protect against the deprivation of SNAP assistance. In the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Pub. L. No. 118-42, § 6, 138 Stat. 25, 93-94, Congress separately appropriated $6 billion to the SNAP program "to remain available through September 30, 2026" and "be placed in reserve for use only in such amounts and at such times as may become necessary to carry out program operations." See also Pub. L. No. 119-4, § 1101(a), 139 Stat. 9, 10 (2025). As Plaintiffs point out, given the mandatory nature of SNAP benefits under 7 U.S.C. § 2014(a) and the appropriation of these funds to be available 10 Case 1:25-cv-13165-IT Document 26 Filed 10/31/25 Page 11 of 15 through this current fiscal year, the government is obligated to use this contingent reserve account to fund SNAP "as may become necessary to carry out program operations." 138 Stat. at 93-94; Pls.' Mem. 11 [Doc. No. 4].

Defendants argue out that a "suspension" is permitted under USDA's regulations, and that USDA "has consistently interpreted its authority to allow for the suspension or cancellation of benefits when necessary." Defs. Opp'n 6 [Doc. No. 18). The regulation at issue, 7 C.F.R. $ 271.7(a), sets forth procedures to be followed if monthly SNAP allowances "must be reduced, suspended, or cancelled to comply with section 18 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008" (emphasis added). But that the regulation allows for a suspension when there are no funds does not mean that Defendants may choose a suspension over a reduction while funds do remain. If the regulation did authorize such discretion, it would be inconsistent with the statutory mandate that benefits "shall" be paid unless funding is no longer available.

BREAKING: Federal judge rules that the Trump administration likely illegally suspended SNAP benefits, ruling that at least reduced distribution is required to go forward under law using the $6 billion reserve fund.

Judge gives the Trump admin until Monday to respond as to whether it will act.

Can’t wait to be a millionaire

Strict budgeting next couple months!

November and December I’m trying to do 4-5 days at work I know it’s going to be exhausting but idc

Not looking forward to Saturday… funerals suck…but at least I’ll be around my cousins💞

I’m a lil naive working on it I’m not ignorant though… please always find something safe to do when it comes to me…

NBC News’ 150 Layoffs Gut Black, Latino, Asian American and LGBTQ+ Diversity Teams The cuts affected teams across the NBC News operation and came as the network no longer needed to support two different news operations. MSNBC has begun growing its own newsroom, hiring swaths of tale...

NBC News has reportedly eliminated its NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino and NBC OUT teams

God replaces with better though guess he forced me to give up old things cause I hoard pictures and messages 😅

I despise that my other phone broke 🙄 I really loved it and needed it…

I’ve been being being Obedient to God💙

I’ve never shacked up… am I against it Not really ppl do what works for them I just rather that be a step I take as a fiancé or wife…

I’m open to Love God has secured for me💞

I went through a season of letting go and not being lots wife no matter the circumstances I’m
Ready to be blessed with a overflowing cup that runneth over so much it blesses everyone I come across

Trump said back to plastic straws he dgaf about the planet 😭

It’s Black History Month! MAKE SOME MFN NOISE! 🗣️

Trump is a wolf we knew this… thing is all he going to end up is a lone wolf moving how he moving and we all know the fate of a lone wolf in a cold world.🤷🏽‍♀️

Be honest but from a place of Love💕

I can’t wait to be a Wife and have a family of my own to come be at home loving..

🎯

It’s strict over here 😂😂😂

DoJ releases its Tulsa race massacre report over 100 years after initial review DoJ report acknowledges attack ‘was so systematic and coordinated that it transcended mere mob violence’

More than 100 years after its initial review that blamed Black men, the Dept. of Justice just released its report on the 1921 Tulsa race massacre

The report says the attack “was so systematic and coordinated that it transcended mere mob violence”

Happy New Year!!!

Don’t want to waste time or waste anybody time.

Exactly why THE PEOPLE have to come together…
But as they said if they can keep us against eachother they would never have to worry about us!

fear of the PEOPLE realizing their collective power, which would threaten the dominance over them.

"If you let one ant stand up, then they all might stand up. Those puny little ants outnumber us a hundred to one, and if they ever figure that out, there goes our way of life." -Bugs life

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable” -JFK.

Everyone needs to cooperate in a social resolution by direct action…

“Everybody wants to change the world but no one wants to die” - Gerard Way

“when the rich rob the poor it’s called business when the poor fights back its called violence” -Mark Twain