(AURN News) — Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to keep SNAP funding flowing despite the government shutdown.
The rulings, handed down almost simultaneously in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, came just hours before the USDA was set to freeze benefits.SNAP helps feed about one in eight Americans — roughly 42 million people — and costs about $8 billion a month.
Democratic attorneys general and governors from 25 states — along with the District of Columbia — took the administration to court, arguing it had both the funds and the responsibility to continue payments.
At the center of the dispute is whether the USDA can use roughly $5 billion in contingency reserve funds that had been previously designated for emergencies.
The judges agreed that the funds could be used, forcing the administration to reverse course.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
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