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Trump ordered to fund SNAP program
A federal judge has ordered that the Trump administration must fund SNAP payments during the government shutdown. LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow spoke with Neama Rahmani, former federal prosecutor, to discuss what this means for millions of Americans.
WASHINGTON - A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Thursday to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November.
The grocery-buying ability for about 1 in 8 Americans hinged on the outcome.
Trump must replenish SNAP food aid benefits
What they're saying:
The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. on Thursday was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit. The government said it will rely on $4.65 billion on emergency funding.
FILE - A customer shops for produce at an H-E-B grocery store on Feb. 12, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
"The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP," McConnell said. "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."
The federal judge of Rhode Island ruled that the money must be provided by Friday in response to a coalition of cities and nonprofit groups.
The other side:
Shortly after the judges' rulings, lawyers for the Trump administration filed a motion to appeal, contesting both Thursday's decision and the earlier one last Saturday that ordered the federal government to use emergency reserves to fund the food program throughout November.
Earlier ruling on SNAP benefits
The backstory:
The judge was one of two who said last week that the government couldn’t pause the program entirely this month because of the government shutdown.
The Trump administration said last month that it would not pay benefits at all for November because of the federal shutdown.
But last week, two judges ordered the government to pay at least partial benefits using an emergency fund.
The judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November.
McConnell ruled from the bench in a case filed by cities and nonprofits that the program must be funded using at least the contingency funds, and he asked for an update on progress by Monday.
Along with ordering the federal government to use emergency reserves to backfill SNAP benefits, McConnell ruled that all previous work requirement waivers must continue to be honored. The USDA during the shutdown has terminated existing waivers that exempted work requirements for older adults, veterans and others.
There were similar elements in the Boston case, where U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled in a written opinion that the USDA has to pay for SNAP, calling the suspension "unlawful." She ordered the federal government to advise the court by Monday as to whether they will use the emergency reserve funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits for November or fully fund the program "using both contingency funds and additional available funds.
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"Defendants’ suspension of SNAP payments was based on the erroneous conclusion that the Contingency Funds could not be used to ensure continuation of SNAP payments," she wrote. "This court has now clarified that Defendants are required to use those Contingency Funds as necessary for the SNAP program."
The Source: This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press, previous FOX Local reporting contributed.