Judges Respond to Trump Administration’s Use of Contingency Funds for Snap Payments During Shutdown – Nationwide
Boston (AP) – Two justices ruled almost simultaneously Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to fund Snap, the nation’s largest grocery chain, using contingency funds during the government shutdown.
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 applies to about 1 in 8 Americans and is a large part of the Social Security Net. The word in October is that it will be the November 1st generation of foreclosures, food banks and Snap recipients who are accepting scraps to find out how to secure food. Some states say they will use their own money to keep some types of programs going.
The program 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 not only that money will be spent, it should be. They also mentioned a separate Fund with $23 billion available for the cause.
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A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled on the bench that the plan must be funded using at least emergency funds — and asked for a further review on Monday.
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A Massachusetts-based judge also gave the administration until Monday to say whether it would partially pay for the benefits in November with emergency money or fully fund them with additional money.
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.
At a hearing in Boston Thursday on a legal challenge filed by democratic officials from 25 countries, a federal judge seemed skeptical of the administration’s argument that the benefits could be suspended.
US District Judge Lindita Talani told attorneys that if the government can’t cover the costs, there is a process that must be followed rather than adjusting all benefits. “The measures involve finding a disproportionate way to reduce benefits,” said TaLwani, a former President Barack Obama’s Court appointee.
Talani appeared to be leaning toward requiring the government to put billions of dollars in emergency funds into the pockets. That is, is his interpretation of what Congress intended when it comes to federal money.
“If you don’t have money, you tighten your belt,” he said in court. “You can’t make everyone stay dead because it’s a political game somewhere.”
Government lawyers say that the Emergency Fund containing $ 5 billion cannot be used to legally save Snap, a program that costs about $ 8 billion per month. The states say they should be used for that purpose and point to more money available in the second federal account with $23 billion.
Talani said his decision will apply throughout the country, not just in the states that are part of the challenge. That would undermine the goals of the US Supreme Court, which has limited the use of vaccines nationwide, although it may not do so.
In the meantime, states, food banks and recipients have been getting temporary flexibility where low-income people can get less food.
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.
Advocates and beneficiaries say that ending food aid would force people to choose between buying food and paying other bills.
At the Washington News Conference on Friday, Secretary of Agriculture Brokerlins Broke Rollins, the department that manages SNAP, said that the emergency money in question will not cover the costs of Snap for a long time. 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, according to the lawsuit.
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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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