WASHINGTON: Two US federal judges ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to continue paying benefits under a food assistance programme despite a prolonged government shutdown that has left many agencies without funding.
The rulings require the administration to use emergency reserves to finance the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the country’s largest food aid scheme, which helps low-income households buy groceries. The programme supports roughly 42 million Americans, about one in every eight people.
The court orders came a day before the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the programme, had planned to suspend payments because of the funding lapse. The government shutdown, now in its fifth week, has blocked many agencies from operating normally as Congress and the White House remain deadlocked over spending legislation.