Two judges ordered the Trump Administration to continue to fund food assistance benefits late last week, though uncertainty remains about exactly when those funds will flow to recipients.
Judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ruled that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) contingency funds to fund the program during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
SNAP benefits did not flow to Tennesseans over the weekend, according to the latest from the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS).
“Because of the federal government shutdown, the TDHS cannot send out Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or food stamp benefits for November,” the agency’s website read Monday morning. “SNAP is paid for by the federal government. TDHS is watching the situation closely and will update this web page when there is new information.”
Nearly 690,000 Tennesseans rely on SNAP benefits each month. Shelby County would be hardest hit if SNAP benefits do not arrive.
In September, 152,265 people here relied on SNAP benefits for food. These benefits typically total around $33 million each month in Shelby County. The missing funds could also mean a monthly $33 million hole in the local economy as those without food assistance will be less able to shop at area grocery stores.
U.S. Rep Steven Cohen (D- TN9) called the ”SNAP cliff” an “arbitrary, artificial, and heartless stunt.”
“As I have been saying, the Trump Administration’s actions are simply a cynical and cruel attempt to withhold food from Americans in a desperate attempt to find political leverage, holding SNAP recipients as hostages in this Republican shutdown,“ Cohen said in a statement Friday. “We are here to support and empower our constituents – to make their lives better — not starve them.”
According to the Rhode Island order, Trump must tell the court how it will proceed to provide those benefits by Monday.