Setback for the Trump administration: Federal judges prohibit suspension of US food aid

The US budget shutdown threatens food aid for 42 million Americans. The Trump administration wants to suspend the benefits, but two federal judges have temporarily blocked this. Authorities must first utilize an emergency fund.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is prohibited from suspending food aid for millions of Americans during the ongoing government shutdown. Two federal judges ruled in favor of the administration, ordering it to use emergency funds to pay the benefits. The rulings from the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island blocked the plans of the US Department of Agriculture to halt payments of the benefits, known as SNAP or "Food Stamps," starting this Saturday. This comes amid the US government shutdown, which began on October 1st and for which Democrats and Republicans blame each other. Because of the frozen funds, many federal agencies have had to reduce or suspend operations, and federal funds are not being disbursed.

The Department of Agriculture had stated that it did not have sufficient funds to pay the full benefits for 42 million low-income Americans. These benefits amounted to between $8.5 and $9 billion per month. However, Federal Judge John McConnell called the administration's decision not to tap into a $5.25 billion emergency fund for the November benefits arbitrary. "There is no doubt (...) that irreparable harm will be done," McConnell said. Shortly before, Federal Judge Indira Talwani in Boston had ruled that the administration was wrong in its assessment that it was legally prevented from using the emergency funds.

It is unclear how high the November aid will be.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) provides financial support to lower-income households for grocery purchases. This assistance has been available since 1964. Benefits are issued on prepaid cards, which can then be used to shop at grocery stores. According to US media reports, it remained unclear when the assistance would be disbursed to recipients in November and how much it would amount to.

According to government data, approximately 18 million Snap users live in states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year's presidential election. Another nearly 24 million Snap users live in states that voted for Republican Trump.