Federal judge forces Trump admin to fund food stamps through November
President Donald Trump's administration has been compelled to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps) through November, after a decision by a federal judge.
ABC News reported Friday that U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell (an appointee of former President Barack Obama) ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use its contingency fund to partially fund SNAP through next month. The contingency fund is capable of covering roughly two-thirds of the SNAP funding shortfall. The decision comes as U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani (another Obama appointee) sided with Democratic attorneys general and governors from 25 states, in declaring the Trump administration's decision to not use the contingency fund "unlawful."
"The court is orally at this time, ordering that USDA must distribute the contingency money timely, or as soon as possible, for the November 1 payments to be made," Judge McConnell wrote in his ruling.
"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," he added.
Due to the ongoing government shutdown, approximately 42 million Americans were on track to lose their food assistance beginning Saturday. The Trump administration stated last week that even though there is a USDA contingency fund of roughly $6 billion to keep SNAP afloat, it wasn't going to tap into those funds, asserting that the money was to be used for emergencies like "hurricanes, tornadoes and floods."
The states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington state and Wisconsin took the administration to federal court earlier this week. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) joined the suit through their respective offices, as their states have Republican attorneys general.
Top Republicans in the House and Senate have been insisting that Democrats vote for the Republican-written government funding bill if they want SNAP benefits to continue without interruption. However, doing so would mean tens of millions of Americans likely experience a significant increase in their heath insurance premiums when Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits expire at the end of 2025.
An extension would require 60 Senate votes due to filibuster rules, and Democrats — who have just 47 seats in the Senate — would need 13 Republicans to break rank and vote to extend the ACA credits. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), whose adult children are expecting their monthly premiums to double, has consistently laid blame for the shutdown at Republicans' feet and accused her party of not having an alternative plan to the ACA to lower Americans' healthcare costs. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) suggested earlier this week that Greene write her own bill.
Click here to read ABC's full report.
