Federal judges order administration to pay SNAP benefits, but next step remains unclear: NPR

Volunteers organize donated beans, milk and other non-perishable items during a food drive for the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday in Washington, DC. The event brought together faith leaders, food bank workers and laid-off federal employees who demanded that the Trump administration release billions in emergency funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

hide caption

change caption

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funding to provide SNAP benefits to the 42 million people who rely on the program to feed their families.

But hours after Friday afternoon’s statements, it was unclear how much aid could be provided and when it might arrive.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston ruled that the Trump administration has until Monday to decide whether to pay at least partial SNAP food benefits. She declined to issue a temporary restraining order forcing the government to act before the money runs out tomorrow, concluding that resuming payments at some point could still prevent irreparable harm to SNAP recipients.

In Rhode Island, Chief U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. issued a temporary restraining order while saying ending SNAP payments would not only hurt people but also local economies. The judge said the Trump administration “must distribute” the aid from emergency reserves as quickly as possible. He also said it must submit a plan on how it would comply with its order, or “at least an update,” by noon Monday. Ocean State Media reports this.

It is not yet clear what impact the two court orders will have on the flow of benefits, which are set to end on Saturday.

Hours after the rulings, President Trump posted on social media that he had instructed government lawyers to find a way to pay SNAP benefits. “If we receive proper legal direction from the Court, it will be MY HONOR to provide the funding, just as I did with the Military and Law Enforcement funds,” he wrote. However, it is not clear what legal direction the government was seeking.

The Trump administration had said it did not have enough money to pay November SNAP benefits because of the government shutdown and that it had no legal authority to use emergency funds set aside for emergencies.

Talwani acknowledged that her order from Saturday would leave millions of people without help. She was ruling in a case brought by 20 Democratic-led states suing over the administration’s decision to suspend the nation’s largest anti-hunger program for the first time in its history.

The judge said the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, must use emergency funds to keep SNAP running. She also said other money is legally available, but left the decision on how many benefits to distribute to the administration.

In Rhode Island, McConnell announced his decision in a lawsuit filed by eight cities, nonprofits and business groups.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, helps 1 in 8 U.S. residents, who receive an average of $186 per month.