On Tuesday (November 11), the Supreme Court squashed the possibility of temporary full funding for the food stamps program. It ruled to extend an order blocking SNAP payments amid the possibility that the government shutdown could soon come to an end. In that case, food aid payments would resume.
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What Does The Supreme Court Ruling On SNAP Payments Mean?
In the words of the Associated Press, the Supreme Court order is keeping a chaotic situation in place, at least for a few more days. In some states, people who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to feed their families have received their full monthly payments, while others have received partial payments or none at all. The order is three sentences long and doesn’t explain the court’s reasoning. Additionally, it will expire just before midnight on Thursday.
The Supreme Court justices chose what is effectively the path of least resistance. Their decision appears to anticipate that the federal government shutdown will soon come to an end. It also avoids any substantive legal ruling about whether lower court orders are right to rule on keeping full payments flowing during the shutdown.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only one of the nine justices to say she would have revived the lower court orders immediately. But, she didn’t otherwise explain her vote. Jackson was also who signed the initial order temporarily freezing the payments. Moreover, the court’s action does nothing to settle the uncertainty across the country.
What’s Been Going On With Food Stamps In Recent Weeks?
To recap, the Trump administration chose to cut off SNAP funding after October due to the government shutdown. That decision sparked lawsuits and a string of swift and contradictory judicial rulings that dealt with government power and impacted food access. The administration went along with two rulings on Oct. 31 by judges who said the government must provide at least partial funding for SNAP. It eventually said recipients would get up to 65% of their regular benefits.
But it resisted last week when one of the judges said it must fund the program fully for November. That ruling stood, even if that means digging into funds the government said need to be maintained in case of emergencies elsewhere. In response, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to pause that order in a ruling late Sunday, led by Justice Jackson. An appeals court said Monday that full funding should resume, and that requirement was set to kick in Tuesday night. However, as mentioned, the top court extended the order blocking full SNAP payments.
Is The Government Shutdown Really Ending?
Meanwhile, the Senate has approved a bill to end the shutdown and the House of Representatives is expected to vote on it as early as Wednesday (November 12). Reopening the government would restart SNAP payments, which helps 42 million Americans buy groceries.
The U.S. Senate on Monday passed legislation to reopen the federal government with a plan that would include replenishing SNAP funds. Speaker Mike Johnson told members of the House to return to Washington to consider the deal a small group of Senate Democrats made with Republicans.
