Hold up! Looks like these federal judges aren’t letting the Donald Trump administration off easy. One just ordered them to fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by Friday, November 7th.
On October 31st, facing a looming pause to SNAP benefits on November 1st because of the government shutdown, a federal judge told the Trump administration to tap into contingency funds for SNAP payments. Trump’s reaction? He took to Truth Social:
“Our Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay SNAP with certain monies we have available, and now two Courts have issued conflicting opinions on what we can and cannot do. I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT. Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible. It is already delayed enough due to the Democrats keeping the Government closed through the monthly payment date and, even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while States get the money out. If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay. The Democrats should quit this charade where they hurt people for their own political reasons, and immediately REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT. If you use SNAP benefits, call the Senate Democrats, and tell them to reopen the Government, NOW! Here is Cryin’ Chuck Schumer’s Office Number: (202) 224-6542.”
And then, during a press conference on Air Force One, Trump added, “When you talk about SNAP, you talk about, largely, Democrats.” Okay, then.
Trump Administration Appeals After Federal Judge Orders It To Fully Fund SNAP Benefits Amid Government Shutdown
By November 3rd, the Trump administration seemed to backpedal, announcing they would only “partially” fund SNAP after those judges kept the food aid program alive.
Fast forward to a hearing on Thursday, November 6th, U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr., an Barack Obama appointee, stated that the Trump administration didn’t follow his previous order. He laid out two options for them: 1) Make full payments right away—no extra hurdles needed. 2) If they went for partial payments, they had to do it by Wednesday, November 5th.
Judge McConnell didn’t mince words:
“That’s the plain reading of the court’s order, and instead the government did nothing to ensure that the money would be paid on Wednesday. Last weekend, SNAP benefits lapsed for the first time in our nation’s history. This is a problem that could have and should have been avoided. [The government] knew there would be a long delay in paying [partial] SNAP benefits and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer.”
McConnell emphasized, “People have gone without for too long. Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable.” Of course, the Trump administration immediately appealed to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
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