Pa., NJ and Del. sue to force Trump administration to continue SNAP payments
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are among more than 20 states who are suing the Trump administration with the claim that they are planning to illegally withhold SNAP payments for November amid the government shutdown.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said it does not have the funds to provide the monthly food assistance expected on Nov. 1, which would go out to around 2 million people in Pennsylvania, 800,000 people in New Jersey and 100,000 people in Delaware.
Across the country, around 42 million people rely on SNAP payments every month to help get food on the table.
“President Trump does have the ability to avoid this calamity by activating a $5 billion allocation currently available in SNAP’s contingency fund, but the chances are slim that will happen, leaving the most vulnerable members in our community out in the cold,” Camden County Commissioner Louis Cappelli, Jr. said on Tuesday.
Delaware’s Attorney General Kathy Jennings released a statement as well, saying in part, ““Let me put this simply: if SNAP benefits do not go out next month, our state’s food banks will be overwhelmed, and thousands of Delawareans will go hungry. That cannot happen. The Trump Administration has both a moral and a legal obligation to prevent that from happening – and they can do so whenever they wish.”
NBC10 reached out to the USDA for comment and responded with a statement blaming Senate Democrats.
A hearing on the case is expected for 11 a.m. ET on Oct. 30 in Boston. NBC10 will follow the latest details and bring them to you when they are available.
The SNAP lawsuit was filed amid a government shutdown fight that appears to have no end in sight. Beginning on Oct. 1, Congress has failed to pass a budget, with Democrats saying they want an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire before reopening the government, while Republicans say they will only consider the the extension after the government is reopened.
SNAP beneficiaries are urged to buy food that can last on the shelf-stable foods ahead of the possible payments freeze.
Recipients can also carryover money leftover from October into November.
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