President Trump said Friday he would move to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if given \u201cthe appropriate legal direction,\u201d following a federal judge\u2019s order to use emergency funds to keep the program running. SNAP benefits are set to expire Saturday as the government shutdown continues. Until now, the Trump administration had maintained it would not use the emergency fund without clear legal authority. \u201cOur Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay SNAP with certain monies we have available, and now two Courts have issued conflicting opinions,\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social. \u201cI do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT.\u201d He added that even if emergency funds are accessed, November benefits could still face delays and urged Americans to pressure Democrats to end the shutdown.<\/p>\n
On Friday, U.S. District Judge John McConnell blocked the administration from halting SNAP payments, ruling that the emergency fund\u2014originally intended for natural disasters\u2014could be used despite statutory restrictions. He directed the USDA to release funds \u201ctimely or as soon as possible\u201d and submit a status update by Monday. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a similar order, giving the government until Monday to outline its use of contingency funds. The emergency fund totals $5.25 billion, short of the $9 billion needed for November, though additional funding could come from Section 32 accounts, leaving final decisions to the administration. Lawmakers from both parties expressed concern over potential SNAP lapses, which affect millions.<\/p>\n
The government shutdown, now in its second month, continues as 47 Senate Democrats repeatedly vote against a clean budget resolution. USDA officials warned that tens of millions could lose benefits if funding is not approved. \u201cAt this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 1st,\u201d the department said, urging lawmakers to act to ensure \u201cmothers, babies, and the most vulnerable\u201d receive critical nutrition assistance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Trump said Friday he would move to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if given \u201cthe appropriate legal direction,\u201d following a federal judge\u2019s order to… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n