A US federal judge in the state of Rhode Island on Thursday gave the administration of President Donald Trump until Friday to pay the full amount of food assistance (SNAP) to low-income households for November. This blocked its plan to provide only reduced benefits during the shutdown. TASR informs about it according to AP and Reuters reports.
- The judge is requesting full payment of benefits using emergency funds.
- He criticized the government for reducing benefits for political reasons.
- The administration appealed against the decision and chose the means.
- The SNAP program needs $8.6 billion in monthly funding.
- Shutdown threatens economic damage and affects GDP growth.
Judge John J. McConnell’s order was in response to protests from cities and nonprofits that complained the administration planned to pay only 65 percent of the maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit. However, according to the AP agency, it is unlikely that Americans in need will receive the funds in such a close proximity.
The judge criticizes the government
“The defendants failed to consider the practical implications of the decision to partially fund the SNAP program,” McConnell said. “Knowing that there would be a long delay in the payment of partial SNAP payments, they did not consider the harm that would be suffered by individuals dependent on those benefits,” the judge added. He accused the government of not providing benefits for “political reasons”.
The Trump administration immediately appealed McConnell’s decision, Reuters reports.
Lack of funds
McConnell was one of two justices who ruled last week that the administration could not completely skip November benefits because of the federal shutdown. They decided then that the Trump administration must use at least $5.25 billion in emergency funds to partially cover SNAP spending for November.
McConnell gave the government a choice on Saturday whether to use reserve funding once the “administrative and bureaucratic burdens” of paying the reduced benefits are resolved, or to use additional funds to fully pay SNAP benefits for November.
The Department of Agriculture decided on Monday to use only reserve funds, which would leave only $4.65 billion to cover benefits after deducting $600 million in administrative costs. At the same time, according to the analysis, the program requires approximately 8.6 billion dollars per month.
Shutdown threatens the economy
On Tuesday, Trump threatened not to pay benefits at all unless Democrats in Congress agreed to reopen the government. His press secretary later said that partial benefits for November are being paid and that future payments are at risk if the shutdown continues.
In the USA, there has been a shutdown since the beginning of October, as Congress did not agree on the funding of federal offices. It is estimated that the US economy may lose seven to 14 billion dollars and in the last quarter of 2025 GDP growth may slow down by two percentage points.
