Trump administration to partially fund SNAP benefits amid gov't shutdown

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration announced Monday that it will partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as the federal government shutdown entered its 34th day and neared a record for the longest in U.S. history.

"I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT. Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible," U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a court filing on Monday that a total of 4.65 billion U.S. dollars in a contingency fund will be used for November SNAP benefits, which could cover 50 percent of eligible households' current allotments.

The decision came after a federal judge in Rhode Island on Friday ordered the department to use the contingency fund to pay recipients of SNAP.

Another federal judge in Massachusetts said in a separate case on Friday that the Trump administration's plan to withhold SNAP benefits starting Nov. 1 amid the federal government shutdown was likely "unlawful," though the judge did not mandate that the administration release the funds.

The Trump administration previously claimed that it lacked legal authority to tap the 5 to 6 billion dollars in emergency funds to cover at least a portion of SNAP, which needs over 8 billion dollars to fund benefits for November.

SNAP is the nation's largest anti-hunger program serving nearly 42 million people. Most SNAP recipients live at or below the federal poverty line. ■