A federal court in Rhode Island has ordered the Donald Trump administration to pay the full November benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by Friday.
Judge Jack McConnell said the payment of this aid has already been delayed too long. Its non-payment affects at least 42 million people.
“The defendants did not consider the practical consequences of their decision to only partially fund the SNAP program,” McConnell stated. “They knew there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP benefits and did not consider the harm that would be suffered by those who depend on this aid.”
The order was in response to a request by plaintiffs to reject the Trump administration’s plan to make partial payments using $4 billion in emergency funds.
The case, Rhode Island State Council of Churches v. Rollins, had a previous, but partial, decision. This led the Trump administration to offer an alternative that was not accepted.
As a result, Judge McConnell ordered the enforcement of the initial temporary restraining order (TRO). He also issued a second TRO making it clear that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must immediately transfer the full November funds to states to issue SNAP payments.
“Today is a great victory for 42 million people in the United States. The court has been clear: the Trump-Vance administration must stop politicizing people’s lives by delaying SNAP payments it is obligated to issue,” stated Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward. “This administration’s immoral and illegal decision has shamefully delayed SNAP payments, depriving families in need of food.
We shouldn’t have to force the president to care about his citizens. But we will do everything necessary to protect people and communities.”
Democracy Forward and the Rhode Island Lawyers Committee represent a broad coalition in this lawsuit, including the municipalities of: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Baltimore, Maryland; Central Falls, Rhode Island; Columbus, Ohio; Durham, North Carolina; and New Haven, Connecticut.
Even business organizations and unions, such as Main Street Alliance; Black Sheep Market in Greenville, South Carolina; and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
“We are honored to represent our brave clients and to have secured this important victory for those who deserve better than what this administration has done to them,” Perryman added.
The legal team at Democracy Forward includes Kristin Bateman, who argued the motion on Thursday, Jyoti Jasrasaria, Michael Torcello, Andrew Bookbinder, Adnan Perwez, Robin Thurston, and Skye L. Perryman.
New York Attorney General Letitia James celebrated Judge McConnell’s decision.
“A Rhode Island judge just stopped the federal government from starving millions of Americans,” James said in a statement. “I am relieved that people will receive the food they need. But it is outrageous that a lawsuit was necessary for the federal government to feed its own population.”
Image: Opinion
