Federal Judge Mandates Use of Emergency Funds to Sustain SNAP Program

A federal judge in Rhode Island mandated the Trump administration on Friday to allocate emergency funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), just hours before the program was slated to exhaust federal financing. U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. instructed the United States Department of Agriculture to utilize contingency funds, according to Politico. This ruling followed lawsuits from various citizens and nonprofits challenging the USDA for its failure to tap into emergency resources during the ongoing shutdown. The federal agency claimed it lacked the authority and funds necessary to sustain SNAP benefits. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has not indicated compliance with the judge's order. SNAP, which supports about 40 million households, faces a funding crisis due to legislative gridlock. Experts, including Pamela Ann Koch from Columbia University, assert that children in SNAP households may struggle academically due to the stress of food insecurity. Numerous states are mobilizing to mitigate the impacts on vulnerable families.