Boston judge considers demand to force the government to keep funding SNAP food aid despite the shutdown

"A federal judge in Boston on Thursday challenged the Trump administration's argument that SNAP benefits could be suspended for the first time in the food aid program's history because of the government shutdown. During a hearing over a request from 25 Democratic-led states to keep the funding rolling. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani told lawyers that if the government can't afford to cover the program, there's a process to follow rather than simply suspending all benefits."

"The hearing comes two days before the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program because it said it can't continue funding it due to the shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation's social safety net. Word in October that it would be a Nov. 1 casualty of the shutdown sent states, food banks and SNAP recipients scrambling to figure out how to secure food."

A federal judge in Boston challenged the administration's claim that SNAP benefits could be suspended because of the government shutdown. The challenge arose during a hearing brought by 25 Democratic-led states seeking continued funding. The judge said that if the government cannot afford the program, procedures exist to find equitable ways to reduce benefits rather than halt them entirely. The USDA planned to freeze SNAP payments, prompting urgency because the program serves about one in eight Americans and costs roughly $8 billion per month. States, food banks, and recipients scrambled, and some states considered using their own funds. The administration cited restrictions on tapping a contingency fund, while states argued those funds and a larger reserve could be used.

Read at Boston.com