Federal courts tell Trump administration to fund food aid despite shutdown

Two US federal judges have ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to keep food assistance flowing to millions of Americans despite a grinding government shutdown that has starved many agencies of funds.

In twin rulings issued on Thursday, the courts directed the administration to tap into emergency reserves to sustain the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP) — the nation’s largest food aid initiative — which helps about 42 million low-income Americans put food on their tables. That’s roughly one in eight citizens, from inner-city households to rural towns now bracing for winter.

The orders arrived just in time. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which runs SNAP, had planned to halt payments starting in November as the shutdown entered its fifth week. With Congress and the White House locked in an unrelenting standoff over spending, vital programmes had begun to buckle under the weight of frozen budgets.

Judge John J. McConnell of the US District Court in Rhode Island declared that the government “must distribute the contingency money as soon as possible,” ensuring that benefits reach families before hunger does. Almost simultaneously, Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts demanded that federal officials explain by Monday how they intend to secure the programme’s continued funding.

The rulings came after a coalition of US states and non-profit organisations sued the administration, warning that without court intervention, millions of households would lose access to food support at the start of the month — a crisis that could ripple through the country’s most vulnerable communities.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, hailed the decision, saying it “leaves no excuse to withhold food assistance from Americans.”

But President Trump, speaking to reporters, cast the debate in partisan tones. “When you talk about SNAP, you’re talking about largely Democrats,” he said. “But I’m President. I want to help everybody — Democrats and Republicans alike.”

SNAP — once known as the “food stamp” programme — has been a pillar of America’s social safety net since the 1960s, offering sustenance to those struggling to make ends meet. As the political impasse drags on in Washington, the judges’ orders ensure that, for now, the nation’s poorest families will not go hungry — even as its leaders continue to battle over the cost of governance.

With IANS inputs