BOSTON, Mass. — A pair of federal judges have ordered the Trump Administration to continue funding SNAP benefits using a contingency fund already appropriated by Congress. The nearly simultaneous rulings do not appear to direct the government to use other funds to make up the difference. Contingency funds cannot cover the entire monthly cost of SNAP benefits – about $8 billion.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the nation’s largest food assistance program. It serves approximately 42 million people monthly. The Trump Administration has recently claimed that using the contingency fund of around $5.3 billion is “illegal.” In his first Term, Trump allowed the use of contingency fund during government shutdowns.
US District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island said. “There is no doubt and it is beyond argument that irreparable harm will begin to occur if it hasn’t already occurred in the terror it has caused some people about the availability of funding for food, for their family.”
The White House quickly condemned the rulings, saying the shutdown isn’t an emergency. Kevin Hassett told Fox News, “Hassett: We are about to use emergency fund for the department of agriculture because of a liberal judge ruling that we disagree on the law on. But we don’t have emergency funds if we have an emergency.”
The judges’ rulings to not explicitly order the administration to fully fund benefits for November. It is not yet known if the government will appeal the federal district court decisions.
If the rulings are not overturned, millions may still see a delay and reduction in their monthly benefits. Funding was scheduled to be sent to the states on November 1. That process normally takes 1-2 weeks.
