A federal judge ruled on Thursday that the Trump administration must fully provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments for November, despite the ongoing government shutdown.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell dismissed the government’s approach of issuing partial payments due to a lack of access to extra funds, stating it was inconsistent with prior rulings.
“This situation could have been avoided,” remarked McConnell, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.
The Trump administration’s plan was to halt all SNAP payments, affecting approximately 42 million Americans, during this historic government shutdown, which led to two lawsuits arguing that benefits needed to continue.
Last week, Judge McConnell ordered the administration to withdraw around $5 billion from SNAP emergency funds, but even that wasn’t sufficient to cover the full November costs, expected to exceed $9 billion.
The judge had previously told the administration to use other funds to address the budget shortfall or quickly implement partial payments. However, the administration opted not to utilize alternative funds and mentioned that recalculating partial benefits could lead to delays in some states.
“If these conditions continue, the court mandates that the government must provide the complete SNAP benefits for November, as failing to do so could cause irreparable damage,” McConnell stated on Thursday.
The new order requires states to fully disburse November payments by Friday to ensure households receive their benefits.
The Justice Department’s lawyers argued that the administration was not breaching the judge’s orders and claimed that accessing additional funding could endanger child nutrition programs.
“The government interpreted the order in a reasonable way,” Justice Department attorney Tyler Becker stated during the hearing.
However, the judge disagreed, labeling the government’s plan as arbitrary and unreasonable.
“Contrary to what the defendants suggest, 28 million children are not in danger of going hungry even if this transfer were to take place,” McConnell asserted.
This ruling is one of two challenges to the government’s refusal to utilize the funds, part of a lawsuit initiated by a coalition of cities and private entities.
The second case, involving 25 Democratic-led states, is being reviewed by a federal judge in Boston. She has requested more information on how the reserve funds might be allocated and has indicated support for the states.
As of now, the government shutdown has lasted 37 days, marking the longest lapse in funding in U.S. history. The Senate is set to vote on the future of the bill on Friday, following the House-passed continuing resolution’s repeated failures to advance.
