Government Shutdown Ends, Food Stamp Benefits Resume
The conclusion of the government shutdown has led to the resumption of food stamp benefits. The Justice Department has requested that the Supreme Court dismiss a case concerning President Trump’s decision to delay these payments during the shutdown.
The Justice Department sought intervention from the justices after a lower court mandated that full benefits be distributed despite the ongoing shutdown.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer informed the high court on Thursday that the issue is now resolved, as a new funding law signed by Mr. Trump this week allocates funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, through the end of the fiscal year.
Sauer stated that this development renders the case “now moot,” indicating that the administration is no longer seeking Supreme Court involvement.
This legal matter had been poised to test Mr. Trump’s spending authority during what became the longest government shutdown in history. The administration contended that SNAP ceased to function once the shutdown commenced.
A federal judge disagreed with this assertion, ruling that SNAP remained operational even without funding. Initially, he ordered Mr. Trump to utilize money from a contingency fund, which covered 65% of benefits in November, and later directed that funds be drawn from school lunch programs to cover remaining costs.
Sauer had urged justices to block this latter order, arguing it interfered with governmental decisions and could jeopardize negotiations between Congress and the White House. The Supreme Court had temporarily halted full benefits distribution for nearly a week while Congress worked on an agreement that ultimately ended the shutdown.
Approximately 42 million individuals rely on food stamp benefits. Democrats have accused Mr. Trump of using payment delays as a strategy to exacerbate hardships during the shutdown, while his legal team maintained that reopening government was necessary for resuming benefits.
