PROVIDENCE, RI — Two federal judges on Friday blocked the Trump administration from suspending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments, preventing what could have been a halt in food aid to over 40 million Americans, according to The Guardian.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order directing the government to continue SNAP benefits despite claims from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that it lacked funds amid the ongoing shutdown. At nearly the same time, Judge Indira Talwani in Boston ruled in a separate case that the administration must use available contingency funds to maintain payments.
SNAP, which serves about one in eight Americans, costs between $8 and $9 billion per month. Plaintiffs in both cases — including 25 Democratic-led states, several cities, and nonprofit groups — argued that the USDA still has $5.25 billion in contingency funds that can be used “when necessary to carry out program operations.”
The Trump administration contends it cannot access those funds without congressional authorization to end the shutdown.
Judge Talwani noted the government could reduce benefits equitably if funds were insufficient but ruled that abruptly ending aid was unlawful.
The decisions ensure continued assistance for millions of low-income families ahead of the Nov. 1 cutoff, though appeals are expected. SNAP helped more than 41 million people last year, nearly two-thirds of whom were families with children.
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