Trump administration must fully fund food aid benefits by Friday, judge rules

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump's administration to fully fund food aid for 42 million low-income Americans in November by Friday, blocking its plan to only provide reduced benefits during the government shutdown.

The ruling came at the end of a virtual hearing before U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island in a lawsuit brought by nonprofits and cities seeking to block the Department of Agriculture's suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, known as SNAP or food stamps.

McConnell, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, said the administration's plan to provide enough money to partially fund benefits in November had failed to comply with an order he issued on Saturday requiring it to ensure Americans received full or partial benefits no later than Wednesday.

He said the administration plowed ahead with a plan to make a partial payment without addressing a known problem as required, that in many states, it could take weeks or months to implement the unprecedented reduced benefits.

"The evidence shows that people will go hungry, food pantries will be overburdened, and needless suffering will occur," McConnell said. "That's what irreparable harm here means."

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Nate Raymond