This is pretty amazing, and pretty sure we didn’t see this coming. We knew that the government was only paying half of the SNAP payments for November and didn’t know when the payments would go out. We know they had an excuse for why. We know that they said full payments couldn’t be made. And now they don’t have a choice. It’s about damn time. From Raw Story:
U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell Jr. from the District of Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to make full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments for November to states by Friday. McConnell’s Thursday ruling came after administration officials said that partial payments would be sent out in November at an undetermined time.
How about that? The judge had had enough and told them so. There are ways the payments could be made, and they needed to get it done *now*. No idea how the judge can force this, so we’ll just have to wait and see. But wow. There’s no way for the administration to wiggle and obfuscate, and delay any more. Now, they’ll try. That’s a certainty. But.
“It is clear to the court that the administration did not comply with this court’s oral order,” the judge said of a Nov. 1 ruling. “The court was clear that the administration had to either make the full payment by this past Monday, or it must, quote, expeditiously resolve the administrative and clerical burdens it described in its papers. But under no circumstances shall the partial payments be made later than Wednesday, November 5, 2025. The record is clear that the administration did neither.” McConnell noted that the Trump administration was causing “irreparable harm” to hungry Americans. The Trump administration also made the “erroneously claim” that certain other funds could not be used for the SNAP program, McConnell observed.
Yikes! They’ll need some cream for that burn! He essentially told the administration that he knows they are full of hooey. They’re lying. They’re trying to get away. And holy cow did he say so. Of course, it was more polite and legal than that, but still! He told them that they *are to make* the SNAP payments within 24 hours. Trouble is, we know they *still* won’t. What could he do to them for not complying?
“More importantly, without SNAP funding for the month of November, 16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry,” the judge continued. “This should never happen in America. In fact, it’s likely that SNAP recipients are hungry as we sit here.” “The defendants are ordered to make the full payment to the states due for November’s snap benefits by tomorrow, Friday, November 7, 2025. The request for a stay of this decision, either a stay or an administrative stay, is denied.” McConnell concluded by noting that “people have gone without for too long.” “Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable,” he said.
We have to hope he has a way to make it stick. They’re simply not going to even TRY. That hurts. 16 million children are at risk, and the administration doesn’t care. They don’t! Let’s hope the judge has a trick up his sleeve. About all we can do is wait and watch. We can call our Congresspeople on either side, but there is simply not much that can be done. We really can’t even apply any pressure. Too bad we didn’t see this coming. If anyone has any ideas on how to apply pressure, pass them on to the people who can use them. And so … what *does* the judge have up his sleeve?
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I don’t know what the court does net either, but one thing for sure: This is not exactly going to go over well with the American public. Trump may not care, but many of the GOP house members are very well aware of the political consequences.