Trump asking court how to "legally fund SNAP" after judge's order
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Volunteers with New York Common Pantry help to prepare food packages on Oct. 30 in New York City. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
President Trump on Friday said he's asking "the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible," after a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered his administration to continue funding the program during the shutdown.
Why it matters: Roughly 42 million Americans are set to lose their supplemental food benefits Saturday — and it's unclear if Friday's ruling will be enacted fast enough to guarantee recipients get their money in time.
- Judge John James McConnell Jr. ruled Friday that the administration must fund SNAP, and asked for progress report by Monday, according to news reports.
- "There is no doubt and it is beyond argument that irreparable harm will begin to occur if it hasn't already occurred in the terror it has caused some people about the availability of funding for food, for their family," McConnell said from the bench, according to NBC.
What they're saying: "I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT," Trump said on Truth Social.
- "If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay."
The other side: "For now, these families can continue putting food on their tables, and thousands of nonprofit food banks, pantries and other organizations across the country can avoid the impossible burden that would have resulted if SNAP benefits had been halted," Diane Yentel, president of the National Council of Nonprofits, which joined the suit, said in an emailed statement.
State of play: McConnell's ruling came down the same day that Massachusetts District Judge Indira Talwani ordered the administration to provide "at least reduced SNAP benefits for November" and to report back with its plan no later than Monday.
- In that case, 25 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C. had sued the Trump administration to force it to resume food stamp payments amid the ongoing government shutdown.
- Both lawsuits alleged the Trump administration is withholding up to $6 billion in emergency funds to sustain SNAP benefits.
Flashback: The administration has argued those funds aren't available because USDA may need them in the case of a natural disaster or other emergency.
Zoom in: McConnell rejected that argument, ruling that people in immediate need should be receiving those funds.
- "It's clear that when compared to the millions of people that will go without funds for food versus the agency's desire not to use contingency funds in case there's a hurricane need, the balances of those equities clearly goes on the side of ensuring that people are fed," he said, according to NBC.
Even if the White House complies with the courts' rulings and releases the funds, recipients are unlikely to receive their money by Saturday because states were previously told not to prep November benefits and would need time to catchup.
- "Unequivocally, there will be delay," Lauren Bauer, a Brookings fellow who researches safety net policies, tells Axios.
Zoom out: Democrats have tried to pin the expiring SNAP benefits on Republicans, accusing the Trump administration of "weaponizing hunger."
- Food banks already experienced a surge in people as millions of families prepared for benefits to freeze.
Go deeper: What happens to SNAP benefits already loaded to EBT cards in November
Emily Peck and Julianna Bragg contributed to this report.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show the ruling was made Friday (not Thursday)
