Judge Orders Full November SNAP Payments
Court rebukes administration’s partial funding plan as “arbitrary and capricious”
A federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the Trump administration to fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November, restoring full payments for nearly 42 million Americans.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued the ruling Thursday, finding that the administration acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” when it attempted to distribute only partial payments using $4.65 billion from the program’s contingency fund. McConnell said the government failed to comply with his earlier directive to release sufficient funds in time.
“People have gone without for too long,” the judge said from the bench. “Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable.”
Under his new order, the administration must draw from other USDA accounts to ensure full benefits are paid to states by Friday. Payments are distributed to recipients on a rolling schedule throughout the month.
