"Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trump's administration must continue to pay for SNAP, the nation's biggest food aid program, using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown. The judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November. That also brings uncertainty about how things will unfold and will delay payments for many beneficiaries whose cards would normally be recharged early in the month."
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting Nov. 1 because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation's social safety net - and it costs about $8 billion per month nationally."
Two federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to use emergency reserve funds to continue SNAP payments during the government shutdown. The judges gave the administration discretion to fund SNAP partially or fully for November, creating uncertainty and delayed recharges for many beneficiaries. The USDA had planned to freeze SNAP payments starting Nov. 1, saying it could no longer fund the program during the shutdown. SNAP serves about one in eight Americans and costs about $8 billion monthly. Democratic officials from 25 states and D.C. sued, arguing a $5 billion contingency fund and a separate $23 billion fund are available and must be used. Senator Amy Klobuchar said the administration is choosing not to feed legally entitled Americans.
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