A federal judge has ordered the government to pay the full amount of SNAP benefits that would normally be paid this month, despite the ongoing shutdown.
How politics is putting SNAP and families at risk
SNAP, America’s food safety net, has become a bargaining chip in the Washington standoff. Reporter Sarah D. Wire explains what’s at stake.
By Friday, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to fully cover federal food aid for 42 million Americans in November.
According to CNN, U.S. District Judge John McConnell said in a hastily convened hearing on Nov. 6 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had not acted quickly enough to release the funds after an earlier order regarding resources. He also said the government acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” in deciding not to transfer certain funds toward full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments.
The Nov. 6 order from McConnell came days after the administration announced it would only provide a portion of November’s food stamp benefits using a portion of the nearly $6 billion emergency fund maintained by SNAP, in compliance with an earlier order.
The Trump administration quickly moved to appeal the order, leaving it unclear whether SNAP benefits would be paid in full by Friday.
Vice President J.D. Vance denounced the decision Thursday night as an “absurd ruling,” telling reporters, “In the middle of a government shutdown, you can’t have a federal judge tell the president how he has to triage the situation.”
Mr. Vance seemed to suggest that the government might not comply with the order. “We’re trying to stay active as much as possible,” he said. “The president and the entire administration are working on it, but we’re not going to do it based on a federal judge’s order.”
The administration previously said $6 billion in emergency fund accounts cannot be used for SNAP payments while the government shutdown continues.
President Donald Trump criticized his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, on Thursday when asked about the SNAP benefit system, claiming that too many Americans are eligible for SNAP benefits.
President Trump said, “Biden has gone completely crazy. He gave it to anyone who asked for it. He gave it to anyone who asked for it, including healthy people with no problems.” “This wasn’t what this was meant for.”
This is the first time in the program’s 60-year history that SNAP food safety net funds have been used in at least two previous shutdowns. This includes the 2018-2019 government shutdown during President Trump’s first term.
“Last weekend, SNAP benefits expired for the first time in our nation’s history. This is a problem that could have been avoided and should be avoided,” McConnell, an Obama appointee, said in a verbal order.
Mr. McConnell complained that the administration chose to provide partial benefits, which would require states to reprogram their systems, a process that could take days or weeks depending on the state.
He argued that the government “knew that (partial) payments of SNAP benefits would be significantly delayed and failed to consider the harm suffered by individuals who rely on those benefits.”
The administration announced on November 5 that it would provide SNAP recipients with up to 65% of their November monthly benefits.
The hearing was held in response to complaints from cities and nonprofit groups that the administration plans to pay only a portion of the benefits.
Contributed by: Reuters
Sarah D. Wire is USA TODAY’s senior national political correspondent and can be reached at swire@usatoday.com.
