Trump appears to defy court order on funding SNAP

(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump said the government will not be releasing SNAP benefits until Democrats agree to reopen the government.

In a social media post, he contradicted previous White House statements that it would fund 50% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for November using contingency funds after a judge ordered them to fund the program.

“SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly “handed” to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president is not defying the court order.

“The best way to get the full amount of SNAP benefits is to reopen the government,” she said. “The president doesn’t want to keep dipping into this contingency fund.”

SNAP has been funded through previous government shutdowns, and the current pause — which has reached 35 days — is the first time the program has faced a funding freeze since it began.

Last week, two judges issued rulings ordering the Trump administration to unfreeze the funding, using $5 billion in contingency funding set aside by Congress for emergencies such as a shutdown.

The Trump administration responded that SNAP beneficiaries would only receive half of their November benefits. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said those partial payments would also be delayed.

The shutdown is shaping up to be the longest on record, with both sides entrenched in their positions.

Democrats are holding out until Republicans agree to extend COVID-era subsidies for Americans who use health insurance on the exchange, while Republicans have refused to consider anything other than a clean continuing resolution to fund the government.