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Two judges can give their verdict on Friday on whether he will be the President or not. donald trumpThe administration will have to replenish snap Food aid benefits for November despite government shutdown.
Grocery-buying ability for about 1 in 8 Americans May depend on the results.
Even if a judge doesn’t suspend benefits for the first time in SNAP’s 61-year history, many beneficiaries could still face delays in reloading the debit cards they use to buy groceries. That process can take one to two weeks, so it may be too late to get the funds on the card in the first days of November.
at a hearing in boston On Thursday, a federal judge appeared skeptical of the administration’s argument that SNAP benefits can be withheld, over a legal challenge filed by Democratic officials from 25 states.
US District Judge Indira Talwani told lawyers that if the government cannot afford the costs, there would be a process to follow rather than suspending all benefits. “The steps include finding an equitable way to reduce profits,” said Talwani, who was nominated to the court by the former president. Barack Obama,
Talwani appears to be calling for the government to inject billions of dollars into emergency funding for SNAP. This, he said, is his interpretation of what Congress wants when an agency’s funding is eliminated.
“If you don’t have money, you tighten your belt,” she said in court. “You’re not going to let everybody down just because it’s a political game somewhere.”
Government lawyers say the nearly $5 billion emergency fund cannot legally be used to maintain SNAP, a program that costs about $8 billion a month. States say it should be used for that purpose and others point to more money available in the federal account.
Talwani said his decision will be applicable across the country and not just in the states that are part of the challenge. This may defy the intentions of the US Supreme Court, which has limited the use of nationwide injunctions, although it has not banned them.
A hearing on a second, similar challenge, filed by a coalition of cities and nonprofit organizations, is scheduled for Friday before a Rhode Island-based federal judge.
Any case is likely to face an appeal against any decision.
Meanwhile, states, food banks and recipients are preparing for sudden changes in how low-income people can get groceries.
Most states have announced more or accelerated funding for food banks or new ways to load at least some benefits onto debit cards used in the program.
Advocates and beneficiaries say stopping food aid would force people to choose between buying groceries and paying other bills.
An effort failed in Congress this week to continue SNAP funding during the shutdown.
To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a family of four must have a net income after certain expenses that cannot exceed the federal poverty line, which is about $31,000 a year. Last year, SNAP provided assistance to 41 million people, about two-thirds of whom were families with children, according to the lawsuit.
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Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey; and Crusie from Providence, Rhode Island.