Federal judges have dealt a setback to President Donald Trump's plans to suspend food assistance to low-income individuals as the US government shutdown enters its 31st day. The decisions were made within minutes of each other and both pertain to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.
Approximately 42 million people in the United States, or one in eight citizens, rely on SNAP for food assistance. However, Trump's administration has claimed that, since Congress failed to pass a budget bill in September, it can no longer fund the program and cannot use contingency funds to make up the shortfall.
However, two federal judges have ruled against this claim. In Boston, US District Judge Indira Talwani stated that suspending SNAP payments entirely was "unlawful" and ordered Trump's administration to address how it could fund the program at least partially by Monday. She also determined that using contingency funds to pay for SNAP was permissible, citing the government's prior actions.
Similarly, Rhode Island US District Judge John McConnell came to a similar conclusion, stating that there was no doubt that irreparable harm would occur if funding for food assistance continued to be suspended. Both judges emphasized the importance of continuing SNAP funding and requested updates from the administration on Monday.
Trump responded by claiming that accessing contingency funds was not legal and instructing his lawyers to ask the court to clarify how they could legally fund SNAP as soon as possible. This marks a departure from previous statements, which indicated that the government would use emergency funds to maintain benefits if Congress failed to pass a funding bill.
Critics argue that Trump's actions are an attempt to use food aid as leverage against Democrats and point out that prior statements suggested using contingency funds in such situations. The USDA has allocated at least $5.25 billion in contingency funds, which can be used to continue disbursing benefits.
The shutdown continues to drag on, with Democrats seeking to ensure healthcare concerns are addressed in the legislation, while Republicans refuse to negotiate until a continuing resolution is passed, keeping federal spending at its current level.
Approximately 42 million people in the United States, or one in eight citizens, rely on SNAP for food assistance. However, Trump's administration has claimed that, since Congress failed to pass a budget bill in September, it can no longer fund the program and cannot use contingency funds to make up the shortfall.
However, two federal judges have ruled against this claim. In Boston, US District Judge Indira Talwani stated that suspending SNAP payments entirely was "unlawful" and ordered Trump's administration to address how it could fund the program at least partially by Monday. She also determined that using contingency funds to pay for SNAP was permissible, citing the government's prior actions.
Similarly, Rhode Island US District Judge John McConnell came to a similar conclusion, stating that there was no doubt that irreparable harm would occur if funding for food assistance continued to be suspended. Both judges emphasized the importance of continuing SNAP funding and requested updates from the administration on Monday.
Trump responded by claiming that accessing contingency funds was not legal and instructing his lawyers to ask the court to clarify how they could legally fund SNAP as soon as possible. This marks a departure from previous statements, which indicated that the government would use emergency funds to maintain benefits if Congress failed to pass a funding bill.
Critics argue that Trump's actions are an attempt to use food aid as leverage against Democrats and point out that prior statements suggested using contingency funds in such situations. The USDA has allocated at least $5.25 billion in contingency funds, which can be used to continue disbursing benefits.
The shutdown continues to drag on, with Democrats seeking to ensure healthcare concerns are addressed in the legislation, while Republicans refuse to negotiate until a continuing resolution is passed, keeping federal spending at its current level.
. I mean, 42 million people rely on SNAP and without it, families would be struggling even more to put food on the table. And now these judges are basically saying that suspending payments entirely is unlawful? Like, duh! We've seen this before with other contingency funds being used in emergencies.
. I mean, come on, we have $5.25 billion set aside for emergency situations like this. And now these judges are ordering them to update their plans by Monday? It's about time someone held the admin accountable! 
. We need to get back to some sort of normalcy here and figure out how to pass a budget bill that works for everyone. Can't we all just agree on something? 
trump thinks he can just shut down food assistance for 42 million ppl 
and then wonder why ppl get mad 
it's not like he's trying to solve a budget problem 
he's using people's basic needs as a bargaining chip 
and that's just wrong 
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can't we use some of that to keep ppl fed? 
but apparently it is for trump's team 
and now we got two judges saying no way José 
gotta fund SNAP at least partially 
. Can't Trump just make up his mind already? It's like he's trying to create more problems than he needs to solve 
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. This is what happens when you have a President who can't even manage a simple government shutdown 
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so we gotta keep waiting for our representatives to figure stuff out. It's like, I get it, the government shutdown is a big deal, but come on! Can't we prioritize people's basic needs over politics? 
I just feel so bad for all those ppl who r struggling 2 afford food 
it's like, we should b helpin each other out more ya know? 
. Judges are doin the right thing by sayin SNAP funding cant just b suspended 
. It's not fair 2 those families who r already strugglin. I hope the administration listens & finds a way 2 keep those ppl fed 
The fact that they claimed it was "unlawful" and then tried to claim otherwise is just so extra. And can we talk about how the USDA allocated $5.25 billion in contingency funds for a reason? Like what's Trump's admin even doing with all that money? 
. it's not like they're giving him a free pass or anything... but seriously, who thought using food aid as leverage was a good idea? 
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. But at the same time, it's also raising questions about Trump's credibility and whether he's just trying to score points with his base 
. The question is, what will that be? Will Congress come together or will the shutdown drag on even longer? Only time will tell 
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. I'm so tired of politicians playing games and making up excuses for not doing their jobs 
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these two judges are literally saving the day by ruling against trump's plan to suspend snap payments entirely. 42 million people rely on this program and now they're one step closer to getting their benefits back 
it's not perfect, but at least we know that contingency funds can be used to help fund it. let's keep our fingers crossed that the shutdown ends soon and everyone gets what they need 
. These judges are right, using contingency funds wasn't always off the table, Trump's trying to use food aid as leverage against Democrats and it's not cool 
it's like they're playing with people's lives here. I'm glad those judges stepped in and said no way, we can't do this to our most vulnerable citizens. I don't get why the government can't just use some of that $5.25 billion contingency fund to keep SNAP going 
OMG, I'm literally shaking thinking about how 42 MILLION ppl are affected by this 
. It's like, hello, our government has been giving us hints about how to use these emergency funds for years 
. I'm calling on all of us to demand more from our leaders and make sure that everyone has access to basic necessities like food and healthcare 
anyone else tried them?