President Trump’s administration Monday agreed to resume “partial” payment of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan (SNAP) benefits after two federal judges ruled it acted improperly by cutting off aid amid the government shutdown.
Bowing to the twin court orders, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would tap a contingency fund to partially fund food stamps payments to about 42 million low-income people who normally would have received the money on Nov. 1.
It’s not clear when beneficiaries, including about 3 million New Yorkers, will see the money they count on to help buy groceries.
The Trump administration had refused to use the $5 billion in the emergency fund or an even bigger alternative fund, saying it was supposed to be only for natural disasters.
Boston Federal Judge Indira Talwani ruled Friday that the feds must access the emergency fund, agreeing with a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 24 other Democratic-led states. Another federal judge in Rhode Island made a similar ruling.
Trump himself weighed in over the weekend, suggesting that he wants to pay SNAP benefits but was unsure how to authorize the funds during the shutdown, which is heading into its second month.
On Monday, the Agriculture Department informed Talwani that it would access the emergency fund, but it would take an undetermined amount of time to figure out how much cash would go to each of the 50 states and Washington D.C, which administer the program.
Gov. Hochul declared a food emergency in New York last week and shifted more than $100 million to boost assistance to food pantries and soup kitchens.
But advocates say SNAP is the only way most recipients would be able to access aid.
The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. It costs about $8 billion a month nationally.
Since the shutdown started Oct. 1, Trump has found cash to pay military service members and says immigration agents enforcing his mass deportation program must be funded.
But Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said she wouldn’t authorize SNAP payments in November and derided the program as rife with corruption and waste.
Republicans say Democrats could end the standoff by backing a GOP stopgap spending measure.
Democrats like New York lawmakers Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries counter by demanding negotiations on extending expiring Obamacare tax credits, which have caused skyrocketing premiums for more than 20 million Americans.
