U.S. food aid benefits for 42 million hang on legal battles and shutdown

The fate of food assistance for 42 million low-income Americans remained uncertain on Monday, as ongoing legal disputes continued to cloud the future of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) even while lawmakers worked to end the record-breaking federal government shutdown.

A mix of court rulings, both favourable and adverse, for Democratic-led states, cities, and nonprofits seeking to restore full SNAP funding has created widespread confusion over the programme’s immediate status.

Meanwhile, the Senate advanced a bill to reopen the government, though any resolution would still need approval from both the House and President Donald Trump, a process that could take several days.

SNAP, commonly known as the food stamp programme, provides monthly benefits to Americans earning below 130% of the federal poverty level. For the current fiscal year, the maximum benefit is $298 for a single-person household and $546 for a two-person household.

On Sunday, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston denied the Trump administration’s request to suspend a lower court ruling from Rhode Island that ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to redirect $4 billion from other allocations to fully fund SNAP. However, the appeals court’s decision had no immediate effect, as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson had already issued a 48-hour temporary stay on that order late Friday.

In a filing to the Supreme Court on Monday, the administration reiterated its demand to halt the Rhode Island judge’s directive unless Congress ends the shutdown.

Trump Administration appeals Lower Court ruling

The suspension of the six-decade-old SNAP program during this shutdown, the first time in history, has triggered emergency responses in several states and led to long lines at food banks.

On Saturday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) instructed states to reverse any efforts made to issue full benefits following the Rhode Island court’s ruling, warning of potential financial penalties. But on Monday, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston temporarily blocked that USDA order after 25 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia argued that the agency could not compel them to undo steps taken under lawful court direction. A hearing was scheduled later that day.

Government lawyers maintained that courts cannot force the USDA to search for additional money “in the metaphorical couch cushions” to fund SNAP while the shutdown persists, placing the responsibility squarely on Congress to provide funding.

In a Sunday opinion piece, U.S. Circuit Judge Julie Rikelman, writing for the three-judge panel, acknowledged the administration’s concern that reallocating funds might affect other nutrition programmes but said denying SNAP aid would cause “widespread harm” by leaving tens of millions of Americans without food as winter begins.

The White House and USDA declined to comment on the ongoing dispute.

The administration had initially planned to suspend SNAP entirely in November, citing the shutdown’s impact on funding. Monthly programme costs typically range between $8.5 billion and $9 billion.

However, in a separate lawsuit brought by a coalition of cities, nonprofits, a union, and a food retailer, U.S. District Judge John McConnell ruled that the administration was obligated either to use emergency funds to provide partial benefits after completing administrative steps, or to identify additional resources to fully fund November’s SNAP payments.

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