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By Aliss Higham
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The Trump administration is appealing a federal court order requiring it to pay full SNAP benefits to recipients this month.
The appeal follows a ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island on Thursday, which directed the administration to secure funds to fully cover November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments despite the ongoing government shutdown.
The administration was given until Friday to comply, though it’s unlikely the 42 million Americans who rely on the program will receive their full benefits immediately.
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Why It Matters
SNAP payments have been disrupted due to the shutdown, which is now the longest in American history, with regular appropriations unavailable and the administration initially planning to provide only 50 percent of the maximum benefit, which was later revised up to 65 percent. That decision prompted lawsuits from several cities and nonprofit organizations.
Read more: Uncommon Knowledge: Trump’s Obesity Fix—SNAP Bans and Subsidized Drugs
What To Know
Soon after the judge’s ruling, government attorneys filed an appeal challenging both Thursday’s decision and an earlier one issued last Saturday, which ordered the use of emergency reserves to keep the food assistance program running through November.
“The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP,” McConnell said in court, according to The Associated Press. “They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP payments and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer.”
McConnell was one of two judges who ruled last week that the Trump administration must use U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) contingency funds to pay benefits during a lack of regular funding.
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What People Are Saying
Vice President JD Vance said following the ruling: “What we’d like to do is for the Democrats to open up the government of course, then we can fund SNAP. But in the midst of a shutdown, we can’t have a federal court telling the president how he has to triage the situation.”
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said: “Millions of American families have been going hungry because President Trump has been choosing not to fund SNAP. It shouldn’t take multiple court orders for the President to feed children, veterans, seniors and people with disabilities. The President needs to comply with this court order and fully fund SNAP immediately. Massachusetts is ready to get benefits to people ASAP."
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said: “Today is a major victory for 42 million people in America. The court could not be more clear—the Trump-Vance administration must stop playing politics with people’s lives by delaying SNAP payments they are obligated to issue. This immoral and unlawful decision by the administration has shamefully delayed SNAP payments, taking food off the table of hungry families. We shouldn’t have to force the President to care for his citizens, but we will do whatever is necessary to protect people and communities. We are honored to represent our brave clients and to have secured this major victory for those who deserve better than what this administration has done to them.”
What Happens Next
While some states have already begun issuing partial benefit payments to recipients, it remains to be seen if full benefits will be paid this weekend as mandated in the court order.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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