Trump Administration Ordered To Pay SNAP Benefits In Full To States

A federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the Trump administration to fully deliver Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to states by Friday (November 8). U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued the order on Thursday, following two weeks of uncertainty over the distribution of food stamps during the ongoing government shutdown.

The legal action stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the progressive legal advocacy group Democracy Forward, which accused the Department of Agriculture of violating the Administrative Procedure Act by planning to withhold SNAP funding in November. The Trump administration initially proposed using $4.65 billion in contingency funds to cover only 65% of the usual benefits, but Judge McConnell found this insufficient.

The judge criticized the administration for delaying aid and ordered it to use additional funds, including those for child nutrition programs, to ensure full payments. He emphasized the potential harm to millions of Americans who rely on SNAP, noting that "people will go hungry, food pantries will be overburdened, and needless suffering will occur."

The ruling comes amid a record-breaking government shutdown, now in its thirty-seventh day, with nearly 42 million Americans relying on SNAP assistance. The Senate is scheduled to vote on a resolution to end the shutdown on Friday.