A federal court delivered a decisive blow to the Trump administration’s food assistance policies, permanently blocking hundreds of millions in fines against states and striking down restrictions that would have cut SNAP benefits for tens of thousands of legal permanent residents.

Court Strikes Down Federal Penalties

The ruling makes permanent an earlier preliminary injunction from December 2025 and expands protections beyond what states initially sought. The court sided with Washington and a coalition of attorneys general on every claim they brought against the administration. The decision eliminates both the attempted fines and federal guidance that restricted food assistance eligibility for lawful permanent residents. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown called the decision a critical protection for people legally residing in the country and another example of courts checking executive overreach.

The Trump administration moved in November 2025 to cut SNAP benefits for lawful permanent residents and established a retroactive deadline that exposed states to massive financial penalties. Brown and coalition partners filed suit immediately, arguing the changes violated federal law and created impossible compliance standards for state governments administering the food assistance program.

Administration Reversal Falls Short

The administration later reversed its position on eligibility requirements for lawful permanent residents but maintained that states still owed fines for missing a grace period. The court found this argument without merit, noting that the grace period had already expired before the administration finished issuing guidance on the policy changes. Judges ruled that states cannot face penalties under deadlines the administration unlawfully imposed, regardless of subsequent policy reversals on eligibility.

Clarification on Waiting Periods

The ruling provides additional clarity on SNAP eligibility rules beyond the immediate dispute. The court specified that the standard five-year waiting period for SNAP benefits does not apply to lawful permanent residents who previously held refugee, asylee, or other humanitarian immigrant status. This clarification protects a vulnerable population from benefit gaps that could have affected their transition to permanent resident status. The decision reinforces existing distinctions in immigration law between different categories of legal residents and their eligibility for federal benefits programs.

What This Means

The permanent injunction protects state budgets from retroactive federal fines that could have reached hundreds of millions of dollars. States can continue providing SNAP benefits to eligible legal permanent residents without fear of federal penalties. The ruling establishes clear limits on executive branch authority to impose retroactive compliance deadlines and change benefit eligibility standards without proper notice. Legal experts view the decision as part of a broader pattern of courts constraining administrative actions that exceed statutory authority or violate procedural requirements.