Judge Orders Trump Administration To Decide by Monday Whether To Restore Food Aid for 42 Million SNAP Recipients

Judge Orders Trump Administration To Decide by Monday Whether To Restore Food Aid for 42 Million SNAP Recipients

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reconsider its decision to suspend payments from the nation’s largest food-assistance program, directing officials to determine by no later than Monday whether to issue at least partial SNAP benefits.

According to Judge Indira Talwani, the decision leaves 42 million low-income people without benefits beginning Saturday, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture halted the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

In her ruling, Talwani wrote that two dozen Democratic-led states were correct in challenging the suspension as unlawful. However, she declined to issue a temporary restraining order, reasoning that benefits could still be resumed soon enough to prevent “irreparable harm” to recipients.

Talwani also stated that the Agriculture Department must use emergency funds to continue operating SNAP and noted that other funding sources are legally available — but said it is up to the administration to decide how much to distribute.