A federal judge in Boston is signaling that she will intervene to ensure food aid continues to flow to Americans affected by the government shutdown. Funding is set to run out as early as Saturday.
The judge’s comments follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) argument that emergency funds were intended only for natural disasters. However, more than two dozen states sued, saying families should not be left without food because D.C. can’t agree.
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Nearly 42 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as food stamps.
What she’s saying
Judge Indira Talwani said the Trump administration cannot simply turn off benefits. She’s ordering the USDA to tap into a $5.5 billion emergency fund that Congress set aside for crises like this.
She told government lawyers, “Congress has put money in an emergency fund, and it is hard for me to understand how this is not an emergency.”
The fund won’t cover a full month, but it would allow partial payments while the shutdown continues.
Talwani is expected to issue her ruling as early as Friday. It could mean benefits might start going out again, though likely delayed, as states rush to reload EBT cards.
“We are dealing with a reality that absent a 100% win for you, the benefits aren’t going to be there on Nov. 1,” she told the plaintiffs.
