Sen. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and other Democrats slammed the Trump administration Friday after a judge ordered the federal government to release emergency funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amid the government shutdown.
A federal judge on Friday rejected arguments that the emergency funds can be used only for hurricanes or other uncontrollable catastrophes, ruling in favor of 25 Democratic-led states that sued the administration. A separate lawsuit was filed by a coalition of cities and private groups.
The available $5.25 billion contingency fund from the U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] is not enough to fully cover November benefits for food stamps — the government will need to allocate $9 billion to pay out benefits in full — but the ruling from U.S. District Judge John McConnell, a former President Obama appointee, at least prevents an immediate loss of food assistance to millions of Americans starting this weekend.
“Two federal judges just ruled the Trump Admin MUST use emergency funds to continue providing SNAP benefits during the shutdown,” Van Hollen wrote in a post on social platform X.
“They tried to use hungry kids as political pawns instead of coming to the table to reopen the government. Shameful,” he added.
Other Senate Democrats chimed in, affirming the ruling that said contingency funds could be used to partially cover aid for the month of November.
“A federal Judge affirms what we’ve said all along. [President] Trump ABSOLUTELY can keep SNAP running,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) posted on X.
“That’s what the contingency fund is for! If families go hungry, it’s because Trump chose to ignore the law to cut off SNAP for political leverage,” she continued.
“A judge ruled the administration is required by law to use emergency funding to provide food assistance to families in need,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said in a post. “Trump has no excuse to withhold food assistance. If the admin does not issue SNAP, it is purely a cruel political decision, not a legal one.”
The Hill has reached out to the USDA for comment.
