State officials are working to restore full SNAP benefits to millions of people after the long U.S. government shutdown has finally ended. Some state officials said Thursday that full November SNAP benefits should be available to spend on groceries by Friday, if not sooner. A series of court rulings and shifting policies from the Trump administration had led to inconsistent distribution of November benefits. About two-thirds of states had issued only partial or no benefits before the shutdown ended Wednesday night. The federal food program serves about 42 million people in lower-income households.

President Donald Trump's administration says it will partially fund the SNAP food aid program in November after two federal judges required the payments to continue. That means grocery aid will resume for 1 in 8 Americans, though it has been delayed for millions already and the amount beneficiaries receive will be reduced. The U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier said it would not continue the funding in November due to the government shutdown. Two federal judges ruled last week that the government was required to keep the program running. But both gave the administration leeway to pay for it entirely or partially. It can take up to two weeks to load beneficiaries' debit cards.

Two federal judge have ruled that the Trump administration must continue to fund the SNAP food aid program using contingency funds during the government shutdown. The rulings Friday came a day before the payments were due to be halted. SNAP is used by 1 in 8 Americans to buy groceries and is a major piece of the nation's social safety net. The administration has said it can't fund SNAP with the government shuttered. Democratic state officials challenged the plan to freeze SNAP payments starting Nov. 1, saying there's a legal obligation to keep providing the assistance for low-income people. Judges agreed, but gave the administration some leeway on the details.

A federal judge in Boston seemed skeptical of the Trump administration's plan to stop funding the SNAP food aid program amid the government shutdown. The hearing Thursday in front of U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani came two days before the day the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to stop replenishing accounts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Talwani says she expects to issue her ruling later Thursday. SNAP is used by 1 in 8 Americans to buy groceries and is a major piece of the nation's social safety net. Democratic state officials challenged the Trump administration's plan to freeze SNAP payments starting Nov. 1, saying the federal government has a legal obligation to keep providing the assistance.

Vice President JD Vance says that he believes U.S. military members will be paid at the end of the week as the Trump administration reconfigures funding in the second-longest government shutdown. The pressure to end the shutdown is taking on new urgency. Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference, says "this week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore." Millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance. More federal workers will miss their first full paycheck.

The Boar's Head deli meat plant at the heart of a deadly food poisoning outbreak is set to reopen in the coming months. Federal health officials lifted a forced suspension at the company's Jarratt, Virginia, site. However, new documents show that sanitation problems similar to those that led to listeria contamination persist at three other company sites — in Forrest City, Arkansas; New Castle, Indiana; and Petersburg, Virginia. The outbreak that began in July 2024 killed 10 people and sickened dozens more. The company recalled 7 million pounds of deli products nationwide, discontinued liverwurst and shut down the Jarratt site.