Volunteers organize donated beans, energy milk and other shelf-stable foods during a food drive in front of the USDA on Thursday in Washington, DC. The event was attended by religious leaders, food bank workers and furloughed federal workers, who demanded that the Trump administration provide billions of dollars in emergency funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funding to provide SNAP benefits to the 42 million people who rely on the program to feed their families.
But hours after the ruling Friday afternoon, it was unclear how much aid might be provided or when it might arrive.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston ruled that the Trump administration has until Monday to decide whether to pay out at least partial SNAP food benefits. She declined to issue a temporary restraining order to force the administration to take action before the funds run out tomorrow, finding that resuming the benefits at some point could still avoid irreparable harm to SNAP recipients.
In Rhode Island, Chief U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. issued a temporary restraining order, saying ending SNAP benefits would harm not only people but also the local economy. The judge said the Trump administration “must distribute” aid from emergency reserves as quickly as possible. He also said the company must submit a plan to implement his order or “at least an update” by Monday afternoon. This was reported by Ocean State Media.
It is unclear how the two court rulings will affect the flow of benefits that are set to expire on Saturday.
Hours after the ruling, President Trump posted on social media that he had directed government lawyers to find a way to pay out SNAP benefits. “If the Court gives us the appropriate legal direction, it would be MY HONOR's option to provide the funding, just as I have done with military and law enforcement salaries,” he wrote. However, it is unclear what legal direction the administration was seeking.
The Trump administration has said it does not have enough money to pay November SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown and that it does not have the legal authority to use reserve funds set aside for emergencies.
Talwani acknowledged that her order would leave millions of people without help starting Saturday. She announced her decision in a lawsuit brought by two dozen Democratic-led states that sued over the administration's decision to suspend the nation's largest hunger-relief program for the first time in its history.
The judge said the USDA, which administers SNAP, must use emergency funds to keep SNAP running. She also said other money is available under the law, but left it up to the administration to decide how many benefits to distribute.
In Rhode Island, McConnell announced his decision in a lawsuit brought by eight cities and nonprofit and business groups.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, helps one in eight U.S. residents, who receive an average of $186 a month.
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