The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a late-night Saturday memo which directs states to “immediately undo any steps” that were taken to provide full SNAP benefits, CBS News reported.

The memo also threatened to impose financial penalties on states that did not comply with the government’s new orders, and said that states may be “liable” for funding full benefits that the federal government did not authorize.

On Friday, Governor Josh Shapiro of Abington Township announced that Pennsylvanians who were expecting SNAP benefits this month should start to see funds in their accounts “this evening, by midnight or so“. That announcement was followed by a temporary pause of the judicial order by a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice so that an appeals court could further review it, CBS said.

“To the extent states sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized,” wrote Patrick A. Penn, a top official at the Agriculture Department. “Accordingly, states must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025.”

CBS and The New York Times said they each reached out to the White House for comment and did not receive a response.

Governor Shapiro passes new laws, interviewed by 6ABC

In related news, Governor Shapiro signed HB 646 and SB 246 into law on Thursday.

SB 246 (now Act 44) mandates that schools notify parents and employees about any incident involving a weapon at school or a school-sponsored event, expanding on the prior requirement to only report such incidents to the Department of Education. 

HB 646 (now Act 42) permits motorcycle riders to use headsets or earpieces in both ears, including those built into helmets, changing the previous law that limited riders to one ear.

6ABC released today a lengthy interview with Shapiro:

For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.