By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Friday has instructed his administration’s lawyers to seek clarification on how the government can “legally fund” the food stamp benefits during the shutdown after US federal judges ruled to tap into the emergency funds to cover benefits for November.
Trump argued that the Government do not have the “legal authority” to pay for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
He urged Democrats to “cut the charade” and “reopen the government.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social “Our Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay SNAP with certain monies we have available, and now two Courts have issued conflicting opinions on what we can and cannot do. I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,”.
He said, even if he receives immediate guidance from the court, there is still not enough time to provide aid for November.
“Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible. It is already delayed enough due to the Democrats keeping the Government closed through the monthly payment date and, even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while States get the money out. If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay,” he said.
“The Democrats should quit this charade where they hurt people for their own political reasons, and immediately REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT. If you use SNAP benefits, call the Senate Democrats, and tell them to reopen the Government,” he added.
Media reported that the rulings by judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island rejected a claim by the US Department of Agriculture that it could not access a contingency fund, which currently holds about USD 5.3 billion, to sustain the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The program provides food assistance to low-income households, costs between USD 8 billion and USD 9 billion a month, meaning the available contingency funds would only partially meet November’s needs, media reported
US District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island said “There is no doubt that the contingency funds are appropriated funds necessary to carry out the program’s operation”.
“The shutdown of the government through funding doesn’t do away with SNAP, it just does away with the funding of it,” he added.
The officials warned that despite the rulings, millions of beneficiaries could face delays, as the Department of Agriculture and state agencies require time to process and distribute payments, which were originally scheduled to begin on November 1.
The SNAP program, a key component of America’s food security network, has never failed to distribute benefits during a government shutdown in its decades-long history. It came under strain during the 2018-2019 dead lock, media added.
