Federal judge rules against SNAP suspension amid government shutdown

A federal judge ruled on Friday in favor of continuing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, after the Trump administration announced it would be halted in November due to the federal government shutdown.

Kentucky joined 24 other states, including Washington, D.C, in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture demanding that SNAP funding continues despite the shutdown. Governor Andy Beshear shared that Massachusetts U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the Trump administration’s decision to suspend SNAP benefits was likely illegal and ordered the USDA to decide whether to release contingency funding in whole or in part for the program.

USDA officials have not responded to the ruling, but even if they do decide to allocate the funding, Beshear says citizens will experience delays in receiving their benefits, so he declared a state of emergency to give $5 million to Feeding Kentucky food banks across the state.

According to Beshear’s Office, SNAP benefits help more than 40 million Americans afford groceries each month, which includes nearly 600,000 Kentuckians, many of whom are children, seniors and working families.