Trump Administration Pushes Back Against Court Order to Release Full SNAP Benefits
Here’s the thing: a federal judge told the Trump
administration to release full November SNAP benefits despite the ongoing
government shutdown. Instead of complying quietly, the administration has gone
straight to the appeals court to block that order — and the situation has
turned into a tense back-and-forth over who gets to decide how emergency funds
are used.
What sparked the fight
On November 6, Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island ordered the administration
to get the full SNAP payments out to states within a day. He said there were
enough contingency funds and other available pools of money to cover November’s
benefits. The administration disagreed, claiming those additional funds were
meant for child nutrition programs that could face shortages later.
McConnell wasn’t convinced. In his view, any potential
strain on future child-nutrition programs was theoretical and years away. But
the risk of millions of low-income families losing food assistance right now
was real and immediate. He called the administration’s position “arbitrary and
capricious,” which is a legal way of saying the decision had no solid basis
under federal law.
Why the appeal landed so fast
The Justice Department filed its appeal the same day. The filing was short and
gave no clear explanation, but earlier arguments revealed the administration’s
stance: only Congress can authorize the use of those additional funds. Using
them for SNAP, they argued, would violate the separation of powers.
The administration insists it can’t legally dip into
non-contingency accounts. McConnell ordered them to do it anyway after they
said they wouldn’t choose to.
What states are doing in the meantime
While the legal fight escalated, some states didn’t wait around. Wisconsin
officials said many residents saw their full November SNAP balance show up
overnight. Michigan announced it had already instructed its benefits vendor to
prepare to load accounts as soon as money arrived.
SNAP serves about one in eight Americans, so any
interruption sparks major concern. Earlier in the month, the administration had
planned to issue only 65 percent of the usual maximum benefit, meaning some
households would get nothing.
Why this matters right now
The shutdown pushed the SNAP program into crisis mode. One reserve fund holds
more than $4.6 billion, but November benefits cost nearly twice that. Two
federal judges, including McConnell, ruled that the administration couldn’t
skip payments entirely. Both said emergency funds must be used to keep families
fed during the shutdown.
The administration, however, maintains that courts can’t
force them to spend money Congress hasn’t expressly allocated. The Justice
Department called the judge’s order “a mockery of the separation of powers.”
Where things stand
The administration is now asking the appeals court for an emergency stay to
halt McConnell’s order while the challenge plays out. Millions of families are
caught in the middle, unsure whether they’ll receive their full benefits,
partial benefits, or delayed payments.
The bottom line: this isn’t just a budget argument. It’s a clash over legal authority, emergency funding, and how far a court can go to protect essential programs during a shutdown.
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