Justice Department withdraws SNAP appeal from Supreme Court as funding resumes
In a significant development regarding the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, the Trump administration has withdrawn its emergency appeal to the Supreme Court concerning the funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amid the lengthy government shutdown. This decision marks the conclusion of a three-week legal battle that has had far-reaching implications for millions of Americans reliant on SNAP benefits. The Justice Department announced that the appeal was rendered moot following Congress’s passage of a bill to reopen the government, effectively ending a historic 43-day shutdown—the longest in U.S. history. President Trump signed the bill shortly after it was narrowly approved by the House, which voted 222-209 in favor of the measure.
The newly passed legislation not only ensures full funding for SNAP through the end of the fiscal year but also reinstates pay for furloughed federal employees and mitigates travel disruptions caused by reduced staffing at airports. Prior to this resolution, SNAP benefits had lapsed for the first time in the program’s 60-year history, affecting approximately 42 million Americans. The situation prompted over two dozen states to file lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to secure full funding for the program. Lower court rulings had mandated that the USDA utilize contingency funds to maintain SNAP benefits during the shutdown, which the Trump administration sought to challenge at the Supreme Court level.
The withdrawal of the appeal brings much-needed relief to low-income families who depend on SNAP to purchase food. The uncertainty surrounding benefits had created a confusing landscape, with varying levels of assistance across states due to different court orders. For instance, the USDA had previously indicated it would only provide 65% of the SNAP benefits for November, leading to a patchwork of funding that left many families in limbo. New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin highlighted the gravity of the situation, noting that more children in his state are enrolled in SNAP than the entire population of its largest city. With the government now funded through January, while some concerns regarding Obamacare subsidies remain unresolved, the restoration of SNAP funding is a crucial step in supporting vulnerable populations during this challenging period.
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Lawyers for the
Trump administration
on Thursday withdrew an emergency Supreme Court appeal centered on whether it must fully fund the nation’s largest anti-hunger program during the government shutdown — ending a roughly three-week court fight over a benefits program that impacted millions of Americans.
The Justice Department said in withdrawing its emergency request that it considers the issue moot after Congress passed a bill to reopen the government, ending a 43-day government shutdown that is now the longest in U.S. history.
Trump signed off on the bill shortly after the House lawmakers voted 222-209 to approve it.
“That law, among other things, fully funds SNAP through the end of the fiscal year,” DOJ lawyers said. “Because the underlying dispute here is now moot, the government withdraws its November 7 stay application in this Court.”
TRUMP, STATES BACK IN COURT OVER SNAP AS BENEFITS REMAIN IN LEGAL LIMBO
The bill Trump signed Wednesday night reverses widespread federal layoffs and will allow furloughed employees to receive paychecks and backpay for the first time in roughly six weeks.
It will also relieve travel for millions of U.S. travelers whose flights were canceled or severely delayed as a result of the reduced workforce.
Crucially, it also restores full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which lapsed on Nov. 1 for the first time in the program’s 60-year history.
Roughly 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits, prompting more than two dozen states to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture late last month to keep the program fully funded.
Lower courts had ordered USDA to tap various contingency funds to fully fund SNAP benefits while the shutdown dragged on, prompting the Trump administration to appeal the matter to the Supreme Court for emergency intervention.
STATES SUE TRUMP ADMIN OVER BILLIONS IN LOOMING CUTS TO SNAP, FOOD STAMPS
U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer
had urged justices
to stay the lower court orders, citing progress Congress had made in recent days to forge consensus on a bill to reopen the government.
Justices this week agreed to stay the lower court order through Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., and later, extended it for two additional days at the administration’s request.
The end of the shutdown keeps the government funded through January, even if it does not resolve the concerns over Obamacare subsidies that were a sticking point for most Democrat holdouts.
DOJ ACCUSES FEDERAL JUDGE OF MAKING ‘MOCKERY OF THE SEPARATION OF POWERS’ IN SNAP APPEAL
The news is likely to be welcome relief for the tens of millions of low-income Americans that rely on SNAP benefits to purchase groceries and keep their families fed.
The Trump administration on Saturday threatened to slap economic penalties or fees on states that did not immediately undo efforts to distribute full SNAP benefits for the month of November, in compliance with a lower court order one day earlier. (The U.S. Department of Agriculture previously agreed to pay just 65% of SNAP benefits for the month using the agency’s contingency fund.)
The result was a patchwork system of benefits that varied from state to state, and as a result of various court orders — injecting fresh uncertainty and confusion over the benefits.
To contextualize the number of people that receive SNAP in his state, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin told reporters that there “are more children in New Jersey on SNAP than consists of the entire population of our state’s largest city.”
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
