Washington — A Rhode Island judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to provide full federal food benefits to states by Friday and admonished the government for what he said is its defiance of an earlier order.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell told Justice Department lawyers that it is "simply unacceptable" to wait any longer before providing the full payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and instead said the administration should act swiftly.
"Without SNAP funding for the month of November, 16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry," McConnell said. "This should never happen in America."
The judge granted a request from municipalities and nonprofit organizations to order the administration to provide the full food benefits. He declined to pause his decision, arguing that "people have gone without for too long."
McConnell also accused the Trump administration of withholding SNAP benefits "for political reasons," citing statements by President Trump earlier this week, in which he said the food stamp funds would only be released "when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!"
McConnell had ordered the Trump administration last week to tap into a contingency fund to provide SNAP benefits for November, which the USDA said would not go out because of the ongoing government shutdown.
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