SNAP recipients will now not go without food support, as a US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to deliver full benefit payments to states by Friday.In Rhode Island on Thursday, US District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ordered the administration to disburse the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, though it was unlikely the 42 million Americans — about one in eight — would see the money on their food debit cards so swiftly, AP news agency reported.The order followed a challenge by cities and non-profit organisations that the administration had proposed covering only 65 per cent of the maximum benefit, which might leave some recipients without any payment this month.“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 individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer.”McConnell was one of two judges who ruled last week that the administration could not skip November’s benefits entirely because of the federal shutdown. Last week’s rulings required the govt to use an emergency reserve fund containing $4.6 billion to pay for SNAP for November but gave it leeway to tap other money to make the full payments, which cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion each month.On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional funds, arguing that Congress must appropriate the programme’s money. The following day, President Trump appeared to threaten withholding the benefits entirely unless Congressional Democrats agreed to reopen the government. His press secretary later clarified that partial benefits would be paid for November and that future payments were at risk if the shutdown persisted.Late on Wednesday, the USDA, which administers the programme, filed in federal court in Rhode Island that further analysis had shown the maximum benefit would amount to just 65 per cent of the usual sum.After the US federal government shut down at the start of October, Congress was unable to approve additional spending, resulting in states not receiving funds to top up participants’ SNAP cards. The programme worked by issuing reloadable debit cards that people could use to buy essential grocery items at supermarkets or via Amazon for grocery delivery. Although states administered the programme themselves, they relied heavily on funding from the federal govt.
