The US Department of Agriculture announced today it is working to fully fund food stamp benefits for November to comply with a federal court order, and the process should be completed later in the day.
The guidance, posted on the agency’s website, is the latest step in a weeks-long saga that has threatened vital food assistance for nearly 42 million Americans due to the federal government shutdown. A federal judge Thursday directed the agency to provide full benefits, which the Trump administration quickly appealed.
The administration had told states last month that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, as food stamps are formally known, had run out of money so November’s benefits could not be distributed. The decision prompted two lawsuits, with two federal judges ruling that the agency must at least tap emergency funds to provide partial benefits for this month or, at its discretion, use other revenue to fully fund November’s allotments.
The USDA opted to fund partial benefits but warned that it could take weeks or months for some states to recalculate the allotments and distribute the assistance. That led the plaintiffs in one case to argue that the judge should require the department to fully fund the benefits to get the money out the door quickly.
Lawsuit status: It’s unclear what the administration’s announcement will mean for the legal challenge pending in Rhode Island. Earlier today, the administration asked a Boston-based appeals court to halt the order issued a day earlier by US District Judge John McConnell that required the government to make full payments by the end of Friday.
The appeals court has not yet issued a decision, and the administration has not yet notified either court of its compliance with McConnell’s order.