Two federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island have ordered Donald Trump‘s administration to fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits despite the government shutdown.
According to the Associated Press, the judges said the administration can fund SNAP, which is the biggest food aid resource in the country, partially or in full, in November. While many beneficiaries are relieved with the ruling, it’s still not clear when people will get their payments.
The US Department of Agriculture threatened to freeze SNAP benefits starting on November 1
While the USDA said the government cannot fund the program during the shutdown, Democratic lawmakers and other advocates fought to preserve the major food resource, which serves about 1 in 8 people.
“The administration is choosing not to feed Americans in need, despite knowing that it is legally required to do so,” U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar said in a statement, per Yahoo! News.
At least 25 Democratic state attorneys and governors challenged Trump’s effort to stop SNAP. While Trump’s administration said the $5 billion contingency fund cannot be used to fund the program, Democratic officials denounced the claim. Advocates for SNAP said a $23 billion fund is also available to keep the program going.
What did federal judges say in the ruling favoring SNAP benefits?
Rhode Island U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell and Boston’s Judge Indira Talwani made their ruling in favor of SNAP and demanded the Trump administration to provide an update by Monday with clarification on how the resources will be provided.
“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,” Talwani wrote, according to Yahoo! News. “This court has now clarified that Defendants are required to use those Contingency Funds as necessary for the SNAP program.”