Two federal judges issued rulings mandating the Trump administration to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) using contingency funds during the ongoing government shutdown.
The rulings came just one day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) planned to halt SNAP payments citing inability to fund the program due to the shutdown.
Driving the news: SNAP is the largest food aid program in the U.S., serving about 1 in 8 Americans, and is a critical component of the nation’s social safety net.
- News that SNAP payments would stop after November 1 sparked urgent reactions from states, food banks, and recipients, many scrambling to find alternative food sources.
- Some states announced plans to use their own funds temporarily to maintain versions of SNAP in their jurisdictions.
- The program’s monthly cost nationally is approximately $8 billion.
Go deeper: Legal challenges were initiated by Democratic attorneys general and governors from 25 states plus the District of Columbia, arguing the administration is legally required to continue SNAP funding locally.
- The Trump administration initially disputed the use of a $5 billion contingency fund for SNAP payments, contradicting an earlier USDA plan to use these funds during the shutdown.
- The Democratic officials emphasized that not only could the contingency fund be used, but it must be, pointing also to an additional $23 billion fund available for the purpose.
The big picture: A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered immediate use of at least the contingency funds to keep SNAP operational and requested a status update by Monday.
- Another judge in Massachusetts gave the administration a deadline until Monday to confirm whether partial or full payment for November SNAP benefits would proceed using these funds.
