Judge Orders Trump To Pay Full SNAP Benefits Amid Gov't Shutdown (BREAKING)

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as millions of Americans wait for crucial food aid during the federal government shutdown.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. issued the order on Thursday, Nov. 6, The New York Times reported. The ruling orders the US Department of Agriculture to pay full SNAP benefits by Friday, Nov. 7.

The Trump administration had agreed to give SNAP recipients up to 65% of their November benefits, which McConnell said was unacceptable.

"This should never happen in America," McConnell said at the hearing.

The ruling follows weeks of uncertainty over the future of SNAP, which serves roughly 42 million low-income Americans. Trump's administration said it would use $4.65 billion in contingency funds to send out partial benefits, but declined to draw from child nutrition programs, also known as Section 32.

Justice Department attorney Tyler Becker argued that the federal government had complied with the order and that states were responsible for distributing the payments, NBC News reported. McConnell disagreed, arguing that the administration "did nothing to ensure" benefits were delivered in early November.

The judge ordered officials to use Section 32 to fulfill SNAP benefits.

"The evidence shows that people will go hungry, food pantries will be overburdened, and needless suffering will occur," McConnell said. "Last weekend, SNAP benefits lapsed for the first time in our nation's history. This is a problem that could have and should have been avoided."

This is the second time McConnell blasted the Trump administration for delaying the benefits, also called food stamps. McConnell accused President Donald Trump and his aides of interfering with SNAP to "leverage people's hunger to gain partisan political advantage."

The longest government shutdown in US history began on Wednesday, Oct. 1, after Congress failed to pass a stopgap bill. The shutdown has already disrupted many federal programs and paychecks for government workers.

Senate Democrats opposed the House-passed spending plan, pushing for an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies. They're also seeking to reverse Medicaid cuts in the GOP-passed spending plan previously called the "One Big Beautiful Bill" that President Donald Trump signed into law in July.

The expiration of federal ACA subsidies is expected to make health insurance premiums skyrocket for millions of Americans. Republicans argue that the federal government should be reopened before starting negotiations.

SNAP benefits, which average about $187 per recipient each month, cost the federal government around $8 billion monthly.