A federal judge in Rhode Island said the Trump administration must tap into a contingency fund to help cover food stamp benefits during the government shutdown, an order that came just one day before recipients were set to miss benefits.
Judge Jack McConnell blocked the Trump administration from stopping Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits because of the government shutdown. There is a SNAP contingency fund worth some $5 billion, which the ruling found should be used.
The McConnell ruling came just after Boston federal Judge Indira Talwani issued a similar order.
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The roughly $5 billion in the contingency fund isn’t enough to cover a whole month of SNAP benefits for the 42 million people who receive assistance through the food stamp program.
Absent the rulings, SNAP benefits were set not to go out as scheduled on Nov. 1 due to insufficient funds.
Some two dozen Democrat-led states sued the federal government earlier this week to compel the Trump administration to use the contingency fund.
Democrats argue the Trump administration can tap into that fund, but the Trump administration claims it does not have the legal authority to do so. The rulings mark a blow for the administration and, for the time being, the loss of another pressure point on Democrats in the Senate to reopen the government.
Just ahead of the rulings, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins would not commit to releasing the emergency SNAP funds if the courts ordered the administration to do so.
“We’re looking at all the options,” she said.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment.
