Federal judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November

A federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the Trump administration to find the money to fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for November.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. on Thursday was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit. The government said it will rely on $4.65 billion in emergency funding. The Trump administration said last month that it would not pay benefits at all for November because of the federal shutdown.

“The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP,” McConnell said. “They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP payments and failed to consider the harms individual who rely on those benefits would suffer.”

The Trump administration said last month that it would not pay benefits at all for November because of the federal shutdown. Then last week, two judges ordered the government to pay at least partial benefits using an emergency fund. It initially said it would cover half, but then said it would cover 65%.

In Illinois, nearly 2 million people receive SNAP benefits, which were previously commonly known as food stamps. The state typically receives $350 million to administer the program to households.

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