Supreme Court Halts SNAP Food Aid Payments
The Supreme Court on Friday approved the Trump administration’s emergency appeal, thereby temporarily halting a court order that mandated full funding for SNAP food aid payments during the ongoing government shutdown. A judge had ordered the Republican administration to complete the payments via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme by Friday. However, the administration requested that the appeals court pause any court orders mandating it to allocate more funds than what is available in a contingency fund, and instead permit it to proceed with the scheduled partial SNAP payments for the month. Residents in certain US states started receiving their complete SNAP food aid on Friday, as an appeals court upheld, for the time being, an order mandating President Donald Trump’s administration to finance the monthly benefits during a US government shutdown. A judge had ordered the Republican administration to complete the payments via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme by Friday.
However, the administration requested that the appeals court pause any court orders mandating it to allocate more funds than what is available in a contingency fund, and instead permit it to proceed with the scheduled partial SNAP payments for the month. Following the appeals court’s refusal, the Trump administration promptly sought the intervention of the US Supreme Court regarding its request. The food Programme provides assistance to approximately 1 in 8 Americans, primarily those with lower incomes. Officials in over six states have confirmed that certain SNAP recipients received their full November payments on Friday. In Wisconsin, over USD 104 million in monthly food benefits was made available at midnight on electronic cards for approximately 337,000 households, according to a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The state swiftly accessed federal funds by submitting a request to its electronic benefit card vendor, enabling the processing of SNAP payments within hours of a Thursday court order mandating the provision of full benefits. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat, stated that state employees labored overnight to ensure that all November benefits were issued, guaranteeing that every Oregon family dependent on SNAP would be able to purchase groceries by Friday.
Hawaii had the information for November’s monthly payments prepared, allowing for a swift submission for processing following Thursday’s court order and ahead of any potential pause from a higher court, Joseph Campos II informed. “We moved with haste once we verified everything,” Campos said. The Trump administration informed the Supreme Court that the swift-moving states were attempting to claim what they could from the agency’s limited remaining funds, before any appeal could be lodged, thereby harming the allotments of other states. “Once those billions are out the door, there is no ready mechanism for the government to recover those funds,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote. Officials in California, Washington state, Kansas, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania reported that they acted swiftly to issue full SNAP benefits on Friday. Meanwhile, other states indicated that they anticipated full benefits would be available over the weekend or by early next week. Some individuals expressed that they were awaiting additional federal guidance.
The court disputes extended weeks of uncertainty for Americans with lower incomes. An individual can receive a monthly maximum food benefit of nearly USD 300, while a family of four can receive up to nearly $1,000. However, many receive less than that due to a formula that considers their income. For certain SNAP participants, it was uncertain when they would obtain their benefits. On Friday, Jasmen Youngbey from Newark, New Jersey, stood in line at a food pantry in the state’s largest city. As a single mother pursuing her education, Youngbey stated that she depends on SNAP to provide nourishment for her 7-month-old and 4-year-old sons. However, she stated that her account balance was at USD 0. “Not everybody has cash to pull out and say, OK, I’m going to go and get this,’ especially with the cost of food right now,” she said. Later Friday, Youngbey stated that she received her monthly SNAP benefits.
