Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Suspending SNAP Benefits

October 31, 2025

A federal court today issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump Administration from suspending SNAP benefits during the government shutdown.

As  reported by our national network, the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN), the ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island comes after NCN along with a nationwide coalition of local governments, charitable, legal, and faith-based nonprofit organizations, small businesses, and workers’ rights organizations filed suit against the administration’s decision to suspend the program and terminate work requirement waivers in areas with few jobs. The court today found that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claims that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) acted without lawful authority in refusing to use available funds to sustain SNAP. It also found that the abrupt cancellation of long-standing work-requirement waivers in areas with persistent unemployment, which was done without notice, justification, or statutory authority, is unlawful. 

In New Jersey alone, more than than 800,000 people, including 340,000 children and 176,000 seniors, depend on SNAP for vital access to food. Yesterday the State of New Jersey  announced the accelerated delivery of $42.5 Million in food and hunger grants to help mitigate the disruption.

The ruling means that, at least for now, the federal government is prohibited from withholding SNAP reserve funds that had been previously approved by Congress.The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling, and there may also be logistical hurdles that may affect the timing of the resumption of benefits, but today's ruling is extremely good news for the 42 million people nationwide who rely on SNAP, and for the nonprofits that serve them.

Please keep us posted about what you or your communities are seeing regarding SNAP or any other issue that affects your missions. You can email center@njnonprofits.org or Linda Czipo at lczipo@njnonprofits.org with your questions or concerns.

Early Voting in NJ is underway. VOTE by Election Day, November 4. 

In person early voting for the New Jersey 2025 general election is underway and continues through Sunday, November 2. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4. Voters are selecting the next governor and lieutenant governor, all members of the General Assembly, and hundreds of state and local races.

New Jersey voters can cast their ballots in three ways:

• In person on Election Day, November 4 at their designated polling place.
• Early voting in person from Saturday, October 25 through Sunday, November 2, in one of the early voting polling sites in their county of residence.
• By mail if they request a mail-in ballot from their county clerk at least 7 days before Election Day, and submit their ballot by one of the legally approved means:
  • United States Mail (postal service) if postmarked no later than 8PM on Election Day and received no later than 6 days following Election Day.
  • Drop the completed mail-in ballot in a secure ballot drop box for their county of residence; ballot must be placed by 8PM on Election Day.
  • Deliver the completed mail-in ballot in person to their county Board of Elections.

The NJ Division of Elections has printable flyers outlining the three ways to vote.

There's still time for your nonprofit to encourage voting in a number of nonpartisan ways:

• See the New Jersey Division of Elections’ Voter Information Portal for official information about how to vote.
• Consider giving your staff paid time off to vote. Providing employees paid time off to vote can help to remove some of the barriers to voting that people may face. You may also encourage your staff to serve as official poll workers, volunteer translators or other nonpartisan activities.
• Share nonpartisan sources of candidate information, such as the League of Women Voters’ vote411.org, NJ Decides from NJSpotlight News, WHYY, and other nonpartisan local news sources and organizations.
• View our nonpartisan voter engagement guide for additional details about staying nonpartisan.

There’s too much at stake to be on the sidelines. 
Be sure to VOTE by November 4.

Federal government shutdown Day 31

The federal government shutdown is now in its 31st day, and there are still no indications that Congressional leaders are any closer to an agreement to reopen the government. Democrats are calling for a restoration of some of the deep cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidy cuts, and other measures, while Republicans have said they will not negotiate before a “clean” resolution is passed.  Open enrollment under the ACA begins November 1, and many analysts predict steep increases in health insurance premiums without the government subsidies that ended under the tax law signed in July.

What You Can Do

Congress and the White House must reach a bipartisan agreement to end the shutdown, reopen the government and allow nonprofits to continue their essential work. 

• Share Your Story  using the National Council of Nonprofits' (NCN) storytelling tool to share real examples of how the government shutdown is harming nonprofits and their communities. Sharing these stories is one of the most effective ways to make your voice heard.
• Contact Your Members of Congress. NCN has created an email template to send a message directly to your Senators and Representatives, urging them to work across the aisle to reopen the government.  You can also contact your Congressional Representative and U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim directly.

We will continue to monitor and share new developments.  Also see:

• Federal Shutdown Puts Nonprofits in Limbo, Communities at Risk, National Council of Nonprofits
• Government Shutdown: What Should Nonprofits Do?, National Council of Nonprofits
• Resources to Navigate Uncertainty, New Jersey Center for Nonprofits

"As nonprofits, our entire reason for being is to make society better by our missions and deeds.

As part of that promise, we have a responsibility to advance an equitable society, to shine a bright light on the harsh reality of systemic racism and injustice and to actively work against it."

Membership is a sound investment in your organization and in New Jersey's nonprofit community. Benefits include:

• The Center as your nonprofit advocate in Trenton and Washington 
• Exclusive learning and networking opportunities
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• Priority access to our HelpDesk experts
• Access to savings worth thousands of dollars
• Feature the "Proud Center Member" logo on your organization's website
• Exclusive priority registration and save over 30% on the annual NJ Nonprofits Conference 
  
• And so much more!

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Information in this communication does not constitute legal advice or a legal opinion. For answers to specific questions concerning your situation, you should consult a knowledgeable attorney who can advise you regarding your particular circumstances.