Judges Respond to Trump Administration’s Use of Contingency Funds for Snap Payments During Shutdown – Nationwide
Boston (AP) – Two justices ruled almost simultaneously on Friday that the administration of President Donald Trump must continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s largest food program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown.
Judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ordered the administration to partially or fully fund the program in November.
The organizations arrived a day before the US Department of Agriculture is scheduled to release payments to the food assistance program because it says it will no longer be able to fund it due to the shutdown.
The program works for about 1 in 8 Americans and is a large part of the nation’s Social Security Net – and costs about $8 billion a month nationally.
Democratic State Attorneys General or Governors from 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, are challenging the plan to stop the program, arguing that the administration has a legal obligation to keep working in their meetings.
The administration said it was not allowed to use the Contingency Fund with $5 billion in it for this plan, which was restored by the USDA program from before the bankruptcy that kept Snap operating. The democratic authorities said that not only could the money be spent, but it should be. They also mentioned a separate Fund with $23 billion available for the cause.
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In Varidence, Rhode Island, US District Judge John J. McConnell ruled on the bench that the cities and benefits included in the program’s plan, and requested further review on Monday.
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As well as ordering the federal government to apply emergency benefits to the transplant program, McConnell ruled that all previous employment contracts must continue to be honored. The USDA during the shutdown has cut off existing funding that has driven work needs for seniors, veterans and others.
“The Court’s decision protects millions of families, seniors, and veterans from using the principle of political struggle and upholding the principle that no American should go hungry,” said the President and the democratic decision.
There were similar elements in the Boston case, where US District Judge Indita Alwani ruled in a written opinion that the USDA should pay Snap, calling the suspension “illegal.” He ordered the Federal Government to advise the court on Monday whether it will use the emergency funds to provide reduced snap benefits in November or fully fund the crisis plan with additional funds.
“Defendants’ suspension of Snap payments was based on the erroneous conclusion that Contingency Funds cannot be used to ensure Snap’s continued payments,” it wrote. “This court has made it clear that the defendants need to use those emergency funds as required by the SNAP program.”
It is not immediately clear how quickly debit cards used to buy groceries can be reloaded after the decision. That process usually takes one to two weeks.
The decisions are likely to face appeals.
The country, food banks and snap finders have been experiencing a dramatic change in how low-income people can get food. Advocates and beneficiaries say that ending food aid would force people to choose between buying food and paying other bills.
Most states have announced more or expired food banks or novel ways to load at least some benefits on Debit Cards used in this program.
At a Washington News briefing earlier Friday, Agriculture Secretary Brokerliss Grollins, the department that administers SNAP, said the emergency money in question would not cover long-term snapping costs. Speaking at a press conference with Speaker of the House Mike John Johnson, he blamed the Democrats on CAPITOLOL, accusing the Democrats of committing a “disgusting act of defiance” by denying health care funding as they hold.
A push this week to continue funding during the shutdown failed in Congress.
To qualify for Snap in 2025, a family of four with income after certain expenses cannot exceed the Federal poverty line, which is $31,000 per year. Last year, Snap served 41 million people, nearly two-thirds of whom were families with children.
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Mulvihill reported to Haddonfield, New Jersey; and Krueni from Providence, Rhode Island. Associated Press reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington, DC, contributed.
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