"In a filing on Monday to the Rhode Island court, the USDA agreed to fulfill its obligation to expend the full amount of SNAP contingency funds today. The administration will use up a fund totalling about $5bn, but not other funds that would allow it to fully fund SNAP, the filing said. Because the process of loading the cards can take up to two weeks, it's not yet clear when beneficiaries may begin to receive funds again nor how much money will ultimately be included."
"The judges had given the Trump administration until Monday to address how it could partially fund SNAP, with US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston ruling a suspension of the programme was unlawful and erroneous. This court has now clarified that Defendants are required to use those Contingency Funds as necessary for the SNAP program, she added. In Rhode Island, US District Judge John McConnell reached a similar conclusion and asked the administration for an update on Monday"
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves one in eight Americans each month and was set to freeze on November 1 due to a government shutdown. Federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ordered the government to cover benefits by drawing from contingency funds. The USDA filed to expend the full amount of SNAP contingency funds, using a fund totalling about $5bn while not tapping other funding sources that would fully fund the programme. SNAP costs more than $8bn monthly, benefits are loaded onto debit cards, and card-loading delays mean timing and amounts for recipients remain uncertain.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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