JD Vance Says Court Ordering Administration To Fully Fund SNAP Is 'Absurd'

Vice President J.D. Vance blasted a federal judge's order directing the Trump administration to make full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments for November as "absurd," per The Hill.

Vance's comment came on Thursday (November 6) after U.S. District Judge John McConnell rejected the administration's plan to issue partial SNAP payments amid the government shutdown. McConnell said the move violated a prior federal order requiring the government to use all available funds to continue the program.

During a roundtable with Central Asian leaders at the White House, Vance claimed that McConnell's ruling was "absurd" and accused him of judicial overreach.

“It’s an absurd ruling because you have a federal judge effectively telling us what we have to do in the middle of a Democrat government shutdown,” Vance said Thursday.

The vice president argued that Democrats should reopen the government so the administration could restore full funding for SNAP and other programs.

“In the midst of a shutdown we can’t have a federal court telling the president how he has to triage the situation,” Vance added.

The Trump administration has said it cannot fully fund the $9 billion November SNAP payment without additional appropriations from Congress. McConnell previously directed officials to exhaust a $5 billion contingency fund, which is not enough to cover the month’s costs.

Vance said the administration would prioritize funding “to comply with the law, of course, but also to actually make the government work for people,” even as agencies warn of service cuts, including reduced air travel due to staffing shortages. The Justice Department also plans to appeal McConnell's ruling, leaving benefits for roughly 42 million Americans uncertain.

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