Two separate federal judges ruled Friday that the Trump administration must continue funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) despite the ongoing government shutdown, rejecting the administration’s claim that it could not use contingency funds to keep the program running.

According to NewsOne, the rulings were issued almost simultaneously in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, ordering the administration to draw from emergency reserves to ensure millions of Americans continue receiving food benefits during the shutdown. The decisions came just one day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) planned to suspend all SNAP payments due to a lack of funding.

SNAP’s Scale and Cost

SNAP, the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, provides monthly benefits for groceries t

See Full Page