Two federal judges ordered the Trump administration on Friday to continue paying food benefits for low-income Americans during the government shutdown, which may render moot Vermont’s decision to temporarily underwrite the program.
Vermont was one of 25 states that sued to block the Trump administration’s plan to suspend payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps, beginning this weekend.
While state officials awaited the outcome of that case, on Wednesday they agreed to use about $6 million in state funds to cover the benefits paid to more than 38,000 Vermont households for the first two weeks of November. More than 65,000 people rely on the benefits in the state, where the program is called 3SquaresVT.
Officials expected to begin making payments to families with children, elderly and veterans by November 7.
But nearly simultaneous rulings by federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts constitute a major rebuke of the Trump administration, which had refused to tap emergency funds that Congress approved to maintain the benefits during the shutdown.
Judge John J. McConnell in Rhode Island ordered federal officials to use emergency reserves to pay benefits “as soon as possible.” And in Massachusetts, Judge Indira Talwani found that the decision to halt SNAP benefits was “unlawful.” The judge ruled that the government must use the contingency funds to continue paying benefits and gave federal officials until Monday to decide whether to pay partial or full benefits. She found the plaintiff states, including Vermont, were “likely to succeed” in the case.
Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark celebrated the decision in a press release Friday.
“While this case isn’t over, today is a good day in our fight,” Clark wrote. “I will continue the fight for Vermont, and I look forward to updating with more good news on Monday when the Trump Administration tells the court what it intends to do.”
The Trump administration had indicated that it planned to allow the benefits to lapse despite vehement objection from states and advocacy groups who argued doing so would inflict a major social and economic toll on the nation’s most vulnerable people, as well as on grocers and farmers.
Earlier this week, Rep. Emilie Kornheiser (D-Brattleboro) called the decision to suspend SNAP payments “an incredible act of cruelty” that she viewed as “capricious and unnecessary.”
It’s unclear whether Vermont will follow through on its related pledge to also provide an additional $250,000 to the Vermont Foodbank for grants to local food shelves. Officials approved that earlier this week in anticipation of spikes in demand.
