A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to continue funding food stamps during the government shutdown, joining state officials and nonprofits that have been seeking to prevent millions of low-income Americans from losing access to the assistance program.
Judge John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island ordered the administration to tap emergency reserves to cover SNAP payments “as soon as possible” come November.
The case revolves around the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which was projected to deplete its funds on Nov. 1 amid the ongoing government shutdown.
Trump administration had declined to use billions in emergency resources already approved by Congress. States, cities, and advocacy organizations have sued, arguing that the government had both a legal and ethical obligation to act.
Shortly after, Judge Indira Talwani of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts issued a similar decision in a related case involving about two dozen states.
“Congress has put money in an emergency fund. It’s hard for me to understand how this isn’t an emergency, when there’s no money and a lot of people are needing their SNAP benefits,” Talwani said.
When will SNAP funding be available again?
It remains unclear when the money would reach the roughly 42 million beneficiaries or how much money they would receive.
Officials have warned that issuing payments could take weeks and that benefits might be reduced by half.
Judge McConnell ordered that the Agriculture Department “must distribute the contingency money timely or as soon as possible for the Nov. 1 payments to be made.”
For her part, Judge Talwani gave Trump’s administration until Monday to detail how it planned to distribute benefits.
Both the Justice Department and the White House have reportedly declined to comment or say whether they intend to appeal.
Juan Carlos Castillo is a New Jersey-based trending reporter for the USA Today Network. Find him on Twitter at _JCCastillo.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Federal judges order Trump to resume SNAP payments. What happens next?
