Legal Expert Jeremy Rosenthal on a judge's likely order to send SNAP funds to states

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining usnaut A legal expert Jeremy Rose and Thal to
talk about what's going on with the Trump administration, the
Snap program and shut down in the courts. Oh my gosh,
what a bloody mess we've got going. Jeremy, welcome in,
Thanks for being here.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good morning, JT.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
How are you pretty good? We were just talking about
the filibuster and maybe it's a good pr move for
Trump to be able to say in the headlines, I
saved Snap and we've brought it back. We were not
going to have Americans hungry here. We're changing the filibuster
rule moving forward now if you want to talk, let's
go and then change it back after Congress gets back
together the way it used to be in the Senate.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
But with that.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Said, last Thursday, there was a judge that jumped in
here and said, all right, look hold on, let's get going.
So what Wednesday? Now, we're going to get the program?
I would full back on for Snapper. Where's the money
coming from? Where are we in this right?

Speaker 2 (00:44):
So what's going on right now is that the administration
is order to sort of fund it, and they've got
a deadline to data report whether they're going to make
a partial payment, whether they're going to make a full payment,
just how is that going to look? So normally the
administration kind of when they get rulings like this, they

(01:05):
sort of talk about appealing. They're not talking about appealing,
they're talking about a clarification. So I think you're right.
I think a lot of this has sort of thrown
me into the brier patch. Maybe the solution for the
administration is through the legislative branch, like you were saying.
But as of right now, they've got a deadline today
to report to this judge how they're planning on doing it,
And I think the judge says, look, you can partially

(01:27):
fund it, you can fully fund it, but you're going
to tell me by noon today I think Eastern time.
Just exactly what it is that you're thinking.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, something's got to give. Let's get going here. This
shutdown is inching up on the longest one ever and
forty two million Americans being affected by this. We've got
to fix something here. This is crazy what we're doing
here because you guys want to play politics up in Washington, DC.
So where do you think this lands? As far as

(01:55):
seventy five percent full snap benefit for you one hundred percent.
How long will the money last that they think they've
got somewhere over the sneaky fund? I mean, where's it
going to end up in a week or two weeks
from now?

Speaker 2 (02:07):
So the fund is it's actually the USDA, the same
be people that actually administered this fund. Don't ask me why,
but it's the USDA. Actually know, there's a lot of
reasons why they're the ones that administer it. And basically
what they've what they've argued is that this money has
to be sort of replenishing. In other words, it has

(02:28):
to be reappropriated by Congress. What we have is a
statutory fight here. And and I think that the money
that they've got, I know that that they're saying it's
going to cost about eight billion dollars every month to
fund SNAP. I think the money that they're talking about
is five or six billion at the moment is whether
they're going to roll this out. But yeah, this is

(02:49):
a political hostage, to be sure, And I don't know.
I don't think either side wants SNAP to go away
or to be taken away, because we all talk tough
about wealthy to be working and getting off of this
type of assistance. We all know that there's extraordinarily needy
people that are on here, and a lot of elderly children, handicap,
all those sorts of things. So really you kind of

(03:13):
have a very make interesting little dance going on, if
you will, about how are we going to get this
done and not take the blame for giving in here?

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Right?

Speaker 2 (03:23):
So, but yes, the longer this goes on, I mean,
can we do this in December? Can we do this
in January? With SNAP? I don't know.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Oh, come on now, I don't think the money's going
to be there. We got a government back open before that.
We shouldn't be have to face that, you know, midway
past November. I mean, the discussion has got to get
back on on the table as to you know, what's
going to happen with the with the government shutdown. The
twenty first in November is the deadline for the budget anyway,
So what the heck here? I mean, we'll be back

(03:52):
at the table soon. But between now and then, you're right,
something's got to be done with SNAP.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
All right.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
I appreciate you, insight, Jeremy. Thank you so much, Jeremy Rosenthal.
There on getting it going, and maybe as early as Wednesday,
we'll have an answer on all this