Health - Bensalem Township
Reports: Federal Judges Rule Trump Admin Must Use Contingency Fund for SNAP Payments
Federal Judges late Friday ruled 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.
However, SNAP payments will still be delayed because changes in administration from the federal government to states to vendors take time.
There was also no immediate word from USDA on how it will implement the judicial orders, while the administration sought guidance from the courts.
In a social media post late Friday, Trump said administration lawyers believed the funds could not legally be paid and that he needed clarification about how to legally distribute SNAP benefits.
Democratic state attorneys general or governors from 25 states and the District of Columbia challenged the plan to pause the program, contending that the administration has a legal obligation to keep it running in their jurisdictions.
According to the PennCapital-Star, Massachusetts Judge Indira Talwani said she would continue to take “under advisement” a coalition of Democratic states’ request to force the release of funds from a contingency account holding about $6 billion.
SNAP Payments were scheduled to freeze as of today (Nov. 1) due to the federal shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. It costs about $8 billion per month nationally.
In Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell ruled from the bench in a case filed by cities and nonprofits that the program must be funded using at least the contingency funds. He asked for an update on progress by Monday.
Along with ordering the federal government to use emergency reserves to backfill SNAP benefits, AP said, McConnell ruled that all previous work requirement waivers must remain in place. The USDA during the shutdown has terminated existing waivers that exempted work requirements for older adults, veterans and the disabled.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro declared a state of emergency Friday.
The state will make $5 million available for food banks to weather expected spike in people seeking assistance.
The $5 million in state funding will flow through Feeding Pennsylvania, a statewide association of the commonwealth’s nine food banks that serve more than 1.5 million people annually across all 67 counties said a release.
“Nearly two million Pennsylvanians rely on SNAP every month — and they shouldn’t have to wonder where their next meal will come from because of the dysfunction in Washington,” said Governor Shapiro. “There is no substitute for the federal government’s decision not to release SNAP benefits, but my Administration is stepping up to use every tool we have — state resources, private sector support, and the compassion of our communities — to make sure our food banks are fully stocked and our families are fed. The federal government has the money to keep people fed — they’re just refusing to use it. In Pennsylvania, I won’t let our families or food banks shoulder that burden alone, and I’m not going to stand by while the federal government lets Pennsylvanians go hungry.”
Trump administration officials did not immediately say whether it would appeal the rulings.
Governor Josh Shapiro announced new state-led effortsto support Pennsylvania’s charitable food network and the two million Pennsylvanians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) after the Trump Administration refused to fund SNAP benefits in November amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The Governor is driving out $5 million in state funding immediately to Feeding Pennsylvania to distribute through its network of food banks across the Commonwealth. The Governor also signed a declaration of disaster emergency to expedite the delivery of Commonwealth funding and ensure relief reaches Pennsylvanians as quickly as possible. The declaration will allow state resources to be driven out more quickly, streamline contracting, and provide the Governor with additional tools to address the harm caused by the federal government shutdown.
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