Trump wants courts to ‘clarify’ how to legally fund SNAP after judges order him to use emergency funds for food stamps
Trump wants to know how to legally fund SNAP ‘as soon as possible’
- Federal judges have ordered the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to utilize emergency funds to prevent the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from running out of money.
- The rulings came as SNAP, which supports nearly 42 million Americans, faced a funding cut-off during a government shutdown, marking a potential first in its 60-year history.
- Rhode Island District Judge Jack McConnell mandated the use of over $5 billion in emergency funds, while Massachusetts District Judge Indira Talwani deemed the government's suspension of the program likely unlawful.
- The president sought court clarification on legal funding methods, attributing the impasse to Democrats, despite lawsuits from 25 states arguing the USDA is legally obliged to use contingency funds.
- USDA officials and others maintained there was no legal mechanism to fund SNAP without congressional appropriation, though the USDA Secretary acknowledged the government's failure to those dependent on the program.