Boston, Nov 8 (AP) Residents in some US states began to receive their full SNAP food aid Friday as an appeals court left in place, for now, an order requiring President Donald Trump's administration to fund such benefits amid a US government shutdown.
A judge had given the Republican administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But the administration asked the appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month.
After the appeals court declined to do so, the Trump administration quickly asked the US Supreme Court to take up its request.
The food program serves about one in eight Americans, mostly with lower incomes.
Officials in at least a half-dozen states confirmed that some SNAP recipients already were issued full November payments on Friday.
Which states issued SNAP payments “Food benefits are now beginning to flow back to California families,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
In Wisconsin, more than USD 104 million of monthly food benefits became available at midnight on electronic cards for about 337,000 households, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said. The state was able to access the federal money so quickly by submitting a request to its electronic benefit card vendor to process the SNAP payments within hours of a Thursday court order to provide full benefits.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said state employees “worked through the night” to issue full November benefits “to make sure every Oregon family relying on SNAP could buy groceries” by Friday.
Officials in Kansas, New Jersey and Pennsylvania also said they moved quickly to issue full SNAP benefits Friday, while other states said they expected full benefits to arrive over the weekend or early next week. Still others said they were waiting for further federal guidance.
Many SNAP recipients face uncertainty The court wrangling prolonged weeks of uncertainty for Americans with lower incomes.
An individual can receive a monthly maximum food benefit of nearly $300 and a family of four up to nearly $1,000, although many receive less than that under a formula that takes into consideration their income.
For some SNAP participants, it remained unclear when they would receive their benefits.
Jasmen Youngbey of Newark, New Jersey, waited in line Friday at a food pantry in the state's largest city. As a single mom attending college, Youngbey said she relies on SNAP to help feed her 7-month-old and 4-year-old sons. But she said her account balance was at USD 0.
“Not everybody has cash to pull out and say, OK, I'm going to go and get this,' especially with the cost of food right now,” she said.
Later Friday, Youngbey said, she received her monthly SNAP benefits.
Tihinna Franklin, a school bus guard who was waiting in the same line outside the United Community Corporation food pantry, said her SNAP account balance was at 9 cents and she was down to three items in her freezer. She typically relies on the roughly USD 290 a month in SNAP benefits to help feed her grandchildren.
“If I don't get it, I won't be eating,” she said. “My money I get paid for, that goes to the bills, rent, electricity, personal items. That is not fair to us as mothers and caregivers.” Franklin said later Friday that she had received at least some of her normal SNAP benefits.
This report includes content sourced from Press Trust of India (PTI), edited for clarity and context.
