Federal Judge Blocks SNAP Benefits Halt Amid US Government Shutdown: Report

• On Tuesday, the Trump administration was sued by governors and attorneys general from 25 states in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts for “illegally” suspending SNAP benefits during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
• According to a CNBC report, Judge Jack McConnell delivered the oral ruling just one day before the administration was scheduled to cease food stamp benefits for 42 million Americans.
• In his ruling, Judge McConnell directed the administration to allocate available funds to sustain at least a portion of the usual SNAP benefits.

A federal judge in Rhode Island reportedly issued an order on Friday blocking the Trump administration from halting payments for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at the time of a U.S. federal government shutdown.

According to a CNBC report, Judge Jack McConnell delivered the oral ruling just one day before the administration was scheduled to cease food stamp benefits for 42 million Americans.

This is on the heels of the Trump administration being sued by governors and attorneys general from 25 states in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts for “illegally” suspending SNAP benefits during the ongoing federal government shutdown.

“Suspending SNAP benefits in these circumstances is both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act,” the states said in the lawsuit.

Judge Urges Funding To Sustain SNAP Benefits

The report noted that during a hearing, Justice Department lawyer Tyler Becker pointed out that the SNAP program was effectively suspended due to the absence of congressionally approved funding caused by the government shutdown.

The lawyer argued that it was up to the Trump administration to decide whether to use the $6 billion in contingency funds already set aside by Congress to continue issuing SNAP benefits.

In his ruling, Judge McConnell directed the administration to allocate available funds to sustain at least a portion of the usual SNAP benefits. He further emphasized the need to explore other federal funding sources to continue the program if Congress fails to pass a funding bill.

Meanwhile, U.S. equities rose in the afternoon trade on Friday. At the time of writing, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which tracks the S&P 500 index, was up 0.03% and the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ) rose 0.23%.

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