A federal judge or dered the Trump administration to release enough money to cover fu ll November benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by Friday, rebuking its plan to send only partial payments during the shutdown, according to the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell said the government vi olated his earlier directive to tap emergency funds and “expeditiously” pay benefits. From the bench Th ursday, he called further delays “simply unacceptable” and directed officials to use additional sources of money to close the gap. SNAP typically serves roughly 42 million people and totals about $8 billion a month, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Justice Department attorneys told the court th ey had complied with the prior order and released funds, arguing that states were responsible for distributing partial payments. McConnell countered that the Agriculture Department had an obligation to plan for emergency financing when the shutdown began Oct. 1 and could not now point to administrative hurdles within states, the Wall Street Journal said.
The administration had already announced that it will pull $4.65 billion from a contingency account, which is adequate for lower payments. However, it also warned that it might take weeks or months for states to figure out how much they owe and give it to them. Officials also noted th ey were appealing the court’s order. McConnell’s new directive requires full funding by Friday.
What’s next: States are expected to move quickly once federal agencies release the full November allotments, while the administration pursues its appeal, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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