A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from cutting off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beginning this weekend because of the government shutdown, ordering officials to first spend an emergency fund.
The roughly $5.25 billion fund is not enough to fully cover November benefits for the food assistance program, which will cost the government upwards of $9 billion.
But U.S. District Judge John McConnell’s order prevents the administration from completely drying up the benefit for more than 40 million Americans starting Saturday, rejecting arguments that the emergency fund can only be used for hurricanes or other uncontrollable catastrophes.
“SNAP benefits have never, until now, been terminated,” McConnell said at a hearing. “And the U.S. has in fact admitted that the contingency funds are appropriately used during a shutdown and that occurred in 2019.”
He ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to distribute the emergency funds “timely or as soon as possible” and provide an update to the court by Monday.
The looming SNAP lapse became the latest visible sign of the government shutdown, which has dragged into a fifth week.
Even as Republicans have been mostly unified, cracks had formed in the Senate GOP conference over whether SNAP should be allowed to lapse this weekend. The expiration would impact millions of people in Republican-represented states.
Though the judge’s ruling takes the pressure off for now, it does not require USDA to maintain the benefit once the emergency fund is depleted.
The administration’s refusal to spend the fund came under two lawsuits, one filed by 25 Democratic-led states and the other brought by a coalition of cities and private organizations.
McConnell, an appointee of former President Obama who serves in Rhode Island, is overseeing the second lawsuit.
He handed down his ruling from the bench moments after U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee who serves in Boston and oversees the states’ case, issued a written order suggesting she’ll issue a similar block.
Talwani gave the government until Monday to explain how it will use the contingency funds.
Judge orders Trump administration to pay SNAP benefits with emergency funds IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2025 2025-10-31 19:25:15 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
