A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot stop food stamp benefits despite the ongoing government shutdown, and must turn to emergency funds, according to several media outlets. This ruling was issued one day before benefits are scheduled to expire.
Key data
Rhode Island District Judge John McConnell blocked the suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which benefits around 42 million Americans.
McConnell indicated that the $6 billion in emergency funding approved by Congress for SNAP should be used to at least partially provide benefits to eligible Americans (SNAP payments cost about $8 billion a month).
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The Trump administration has argued that the Department of Agriculture does not have the legal authority to use the emergency funds, claiming that the money is reserved for emergency situations, such as natural disasters.
McConnell also directed the administration to identify what other federal funds could be used to continue delivering SNAP benefits in the event Congress fails to pass a funding bill during the shutdown.
The Department of Agriculture’s website notes that SNAP benefits will stop Nov. 1, blaming Democrats and saying “the well has run dry.”
What to observe
Another federal judge indicated that a group of 25 states that sued the Trump administration over the suspension of SNAP “will likely succeed in their claim” that the suspension of funds is illegal. This judge did not directly order the Trump administration to issue SNAP payments on Saturday. However, the administration must tell the judge on Monday whether it will proceed with the payments, even if they only partially cover the amount needed to give full payments to eligible Americans.
This article was originally published on Forbes US
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