In brief
A federal judge is set to evaluate whether the Trump administration must sustain funding for the SNAP food assistance program despite the current government shutdown. This decision comes as the program is slated for payment freezes, affecting millions of beneficiaries who rely on governmental support for food. Legal challenges have emerged from state officials who assert that the administration has a responsibility to maintain the program's funding. The outcome of this hearing could alleviate potential hardships for approximately 41 million Americans dependent on SNAP.
BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge in Boston will hear a motion on Thursday that could compel the Trump administration to sustain the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding, despite the ongoing government shutdown. The hearing, presided over by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, comes just days before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to halt payments to the program, affecting one in eight Americans relying on food assistance.
Following notification in October that SNAP would discontinue payments starting November 1 due to the shutdown, states and food banks have been scrambling to secure food supplies. Many state governments have expressed their intent to utilize their available funds to maintain some form of the program.
A coalition of Democratic state officials from 25 states, along with the District of Columbia, has formally contested the administration’s plan to pause SNAP funding. They argue that the government bears a legal obligation to ensure the program continues operating. The Trump administration contends that it cannot access a $5 billion contingency fund previously suggested for this purpose, citing limitations against such use, yet it has been countered by state officials claiming there is a separate fund of approximately $23 billion that can be tapped to sustain SNAP.
The SNAP program costs about $8 billion per month, and any lapse in funding would lead to acute hardships for millions of families dependent on this support for securing their basic nutritional needs. As the judge reviews the lawyers' arguments, it remains uncertain how soon beneficiaries will see any resolution or reloading of their issued debit cards typically used for food purchases, a process that can take one to two weeks.
As it stands, qualifying for SNAP assistance requires a family of four's net income not to exceed roughly $31,000 per year, with a significant portion of the recipients being families with children. Last year, SNAP provided critical assistance to 41 million people.
