{"id":102290,"date":"2025-11-07T02:52:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T02:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=102290"},"modified":"2025-11-07T02:52:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T02:52:00","slug":"judge-orders-trump-administration-to-fully-fund-snap-food-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=102290","title":{"rendered":"Judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP food benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A US judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, and accused the administration of withholding the food aid \u201cfor political reasons\u201d.<\/p>\n

Judge John McConnell said in his order on Thursday that without the aid, \u201c16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry\u201d.<\/p>\n

The programme is used by about 42 million, or about 1 in 8, in America and helps those with low income afford groceries.<\/p>\n

The administration at first planned to halt its funding entirely this month due to the government shutdown, which is now the longest in US history, but had been ordered to doll out at least partial payment.<\/p>\n

The judge, who is based in Rhode Island, also criticised President Donald Trump for saying that benefits would only be distributed after the government shutdown ends, calling it \u201can intent to defy the court order\u201d.<\/p>\n

He granted a request from several local governments and non-profit groups that asked that the government provide full food benefits, rather than the 65% that had been ordered to be paid out this month.<\/p>\n

Judge McConnell, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, ordered that benefits be paid by Friday, adding that any further delay would be \u201csimply unacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis should never happen in America,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

He added that the government \u201cknew there would be a long delay in paying [partial] SNAP benefits and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer\u201d.<\/p>\n

The White House has said it plans to appeal the ruling. After Trump had earlier vowed to withhold aid until the shutdown ends, his spokeswoman clarified that the administration would comply with the judge\u2019s order.<\/p>\n

Trump, reacting to the ruling at a dinner with Central Asian leaders at the White House, blamed Democrats for the shutdown and said that there are too many undeserving people using the Snap programme.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was meant for people that had real problems. In many cases, people who were down and out,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t meant for people that say, \u2018Well I don\u2019t want to work.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitting next to Trump, Vice-President JD Vance chimed in and accused the judge of \u201ctelling the president how he has to triage the situation\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe American people are unfortunately about to start suffering some very real consequences from the shutdown,\u201d Vance added, noting the issues with Snap and\u00a0also airports.<\/p>\n

Democracy Forward, an advocacy group which brought the lawsuit, praised the judge\u2019s ruling as a \u201cmajor victory\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe court could not be more clear \u2014 the Trump-Vance administration must stop playing politics with people\u2019s lives by delaying Snap payments they are obligated to issue,\u201d Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman said in a statement.<\/p>\n