Despite Court Orders, Food Assistance Still Held Up in Oregon and Beyond

As the federal shutdown drags on, funding for a key food program remains in limbo even after the courts intervened to release the money. This means about 750,000 Oregonians were on Tuesday still awaiting benefits that would have normally arrived at the beginning of November.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is federally funded but run at the state level. The Trump administration had earlier said the month’s SNAP benefits would not be released to states until Congress ends the shutdown by approving funding for the government. Half the country, including Oregon, sued to pressure the administration to tap emergency funds, and multiple courts ordered it to do so.

One portion of the Trump administration has indicated it would comply—though in a way that left some advocates unsa