Two Federal Judges Order USDA to Use Contingency Funds for November SNAP Benefits; Plan Due November 3, 42 Million People Affected
WASHINGTON — The federal government shutdown entered its 32nd day on November 1. On October 31, two federal judges — in Boston and in Rhode Island — ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's refusal to use contingency funds to pay November SNAP benefits during the shutdown was unlawful, and ordered the department to draw on the congressionally approved contingency fund, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition's summary of the rulings and multiple news reports. SNAP serves about 42 million low-income Americans, roughly one in eight people in the country, and costs about $8.5 billion to $9 billion a month.
In Boston, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled the administration's position that contingency funds could not be used during the shutdown was "contrary to law," and gave the USDA until Monday, November 3, to present a plan to issue at least partial payments. In Rhode Island, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. issued a temporary restraining order the same day: full payments by November 3, or a workable plan for partial benefits by November 5. On November 1, McConnell issued a further order stating the contingency funds "must be used now" and requiring the USDA to file a compliance plan by noon on November 3; the order also noted the president's public response expressing his desire to provide the funding.
The cases began after the USDA notified states that no benefits would be issued on November 1, saying the funds had run dry. Twenty-five states and Washington, D.C., sued the USDA in federal court in Boston on October 27 seeking use of the contingency funds; cities and nonprofit organizations filed a separate case in Rhode Island. Litigation filings put the contingency fund at roughly $4.6 billion to $5.25 billion — not enough to cover a full month of benefits — so the level of partial payments and state-by-state timing remain subject to the USDA's plan.
In California, the program operates as CalFresh. Recipients should follow the latest notices from their state government and county social services department for November payment timing and amounts.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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