Trump ordered to thaw SNAP funds despite shutdown

Erik Uebelacker

(CN) — A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from halting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits as the government remains shut down with federal lawmakers unable to strike a budget deal.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell, a Barack Obama appointee in Rhode Island federal court, issued a bench ruling that grants a temporary restraining order keeping the program alive.

A group of cities, charities, churches, nonprofits and unions sued the Department of Agriculture on Thursday after the department announced it would be pausing SNAP benefits for the month of November due to the federal government’s ongoing shutdown.

“Today’s ruling is a lifeline for millions of families, seniors, and veterans who depend on SNAP to put food on the table,” the plaintiffs said in a joint statement. “It reaffirms a fundamental principle: no administration can use hunger as a political weapon. This victory is about more than one program — it’s about the American values of fairness, compassion, and accountability that hold our democracy together.”

Nationwide, approximately 42 million Americans use SNAP to address food insecurity. Children and seniors make up nearly 60% of all recipients; more than one million recipients are veterans.

McConnell’s ruling Friday temporarily preserves that aid just a day before their suspension was set to take place. It would have been the first time since SNAP’s inception that benefits were delayed.