Trump administration appeals order to pay SNAP benefits
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The news: The Trump administration has requested an emergency pause on a federal judge’s order to fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November.
The context: On Thursday, US District Court Judge John McConnell ordered the administration to pay the full food benefits, which 42 million low income Americans rely on to pay for groceries and other necessities each month, on Thursday.
The Trump administration has argued that it does not have to cover the benefits in full during the government shutdown, arguing that “This unprecedented injunction makes a mockery of the separation of powers. Courts hold neither the power to appropriate nor the power to spend," according to a court filing.
"Indeed, if every beneficiary of a mandatory spending program could run to court and force the agency to transfer funds from elsewhere, the result would be an unworkable and conflicting plethora of injunctions that reduce the federal fisc to a giant shell game" the filing read.
Earlier this week the administration agreed to use USD4.65 billion in contingency funds to cover around 65% of the benefits that eligible households would ordinarily receive. However, the administration argues that it cannot draw from additional funds set aside for child nutrition programs, known as Section 32 funding, to fully fund SNAP because doing so would take away resources from other programs.
The sources: US Court of Appeals filing, Politico, Axios, CNBC
