Justice temporarily pauses order requiring Trump admin to fully fund SNAP

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A Supreme Court justness has temporarily paused a lower court's ruling requiring the Trump medication to afloat money the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the period of November by the extremity of the time Friday.

In an bid precocious Friday night, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the intermission volition stay successful effect until the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issues a judgement connected the matter. Jackson is the justness assigned to exigency applications retired of the 1st circuit, and her bid did not notation the substance to the afloat Supreme Court.

Earlier Friday, the Court of Appeals denied a petition by the Trump medication for an administrative enactment pausing the bid to afloat money SNAP. The Trump medication responded by asking the Supreme Court to intervene.

As the tribunal conflict played retired done the time Friday, astatine slightest 9 states had already begun issuing SNAP benefits nether the absorption of the national bureau that operates SNAP.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which operates SNAP, told states Friday day that it was moving toward paying afloat November SNAP benefits.

A missive from the USDA stated that "later today, FNS volition implicit the processes indispensable to marque funds disposable to enactment your consequent transmittal of afloat issuance files to your EBT processor."

A radical of section governments and nonprofits had urged the Court of Appeals to support successful spot an bid requiring the Trump medication to afloat wage for November SNAP benefits during the ongoing government shutdown.

The Trump medication had asked the circuit tribunal to contented an exigency enactment of U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr.'s ruling Thursday ordering the medication to afloat money the SNAP by today, saying they are redeeming further funds to wage for kid nutrition programs known arsenic WIC.

At contented was whether a national justice tin compel the authorities to usage $4 cardinal from Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act Amendment of 1935 to money November SNAP benefits.

In his petition to the Supreme Court, Solicitor General John Sauer wrote, "Given the imminent, irreparable harms posed by these orders, which necessitate the authorities to transportation an estimated $4 cardinal by tonight, the Solicitor General respectfully requests an contiguous administrative enactment of the orders pending the solution of this exertion by nary aboriginal than 9:30pm this evening."

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, posting connected societal media astir the appeals tribunal decision, called the circuit court's determination "Judicial activism astatine its worst."

"A azygous territory tribunal successful Rhode Island should not beryllium capable to prehend halfway signifier successful the shutdown, question to upend governmental negotiations that could nutrient swift governmental solutions for SNAP and different programs, and dictate its ain preferences for however scarce national funds should beryllium spent," she wrote.

The Trump medication says the Section 32 funds are needed to support WIC programs and that utilizing that wealth to wage for SNAP would fundamentally "starve Peter to provender Paul."

"Indeed, if each beneficiary of a mandatory spending programme could tally to tribunal and unit the bureau to transportation funds from elsewhere, the effect would beryllium an unworkable and conflicting plethora of injunctions that trim the national fisc to a elephantine ammunition game," they argued successful a tribunal filing.

The groups that brought the suit pushed backmost Friday against the government's argument.

"Defendants' bald assertion that they volition look irreparable wounded is wholly unsupported, and they callously disregard the sedate harm that volition befall Plaintiffs and millions of Americans if they succeed," they wrote, saying the $23 cardinal successful remaining funds is much than capable to screen some WIC, which requires $3 cardinal a period to operate, and SNAP, which usually requires astir $8.5 billion.

As the ineligible conflict continued Friday, astatine slightest 9 states said they began issuing November SNAP benefits.

Officials from California, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Pennsylvania said that afloat SNAP benefits were already disposable to immoderate recipients. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul besides said she had directed authorities agencies to contented afloat SNAP benefits for the month.

In a statement, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said that his authorities "acted immediately" to process SNAP benefits aft receiving backing from the USDA. Vermont besides processed afloat SNAP benefits for November, according to authorities treasurer Mike Pieciak.

Kansas officials said they had already distributed much than $31.6 cardinal successful SNAP benefits to 86,000 households, and Wisconsin officials said they had distributed $104.4 cardinal to 337,137 households.

During a tense tribunal proceeding Thursday, Judge McConnell accused the Trump medication of "withholding SNAP benefits for governmental reasons."

Last week McConnell ordered the authorities to use exigency funds to wage for SNAP successful clip for the Nov. 1 payments to beryllium made -- but the administration, saying they had to prevention the further funds for WIC, committed to only partially funding SNAP.

McConnell, successful his ruling Thursday, ordered the Trump medication to afloat money SNAP for the period of November by Friday. He straight rebuked President Donald Trump for stating "his intent to defy" a tribunal bid erstwhile Trump said earlier this week that SNAP volition not beryllium funded until the authorities reopens from the ongoing shutdown.

In their tribunal filing Friday, the Trump medication said that Trump was "just stating a fact," and not utilizing SNAP arsenic leverage.

"The territory tribunal besides accused the President of atrocious religion for declaring that afloat SNAP benefits would not resume until the authorities reopens. But that was conscionable stating a fact--the appropriation has lapsed, and it is up to Congress to lick this crisis," the filing said.

The authorities has asked the circuit tribunal to let USDA to proceed with the partial payment of SNAP and to "not compel the bureau to transportation billions of dollars from different information nett programme with nary certainty of their replenishment."

McConnell himself denied a petition from the authorities to enactment his ain decision, saying, "The petition for a enactment of this decision, either a enactment oregon an medication stay, is denied. People person gone without for excessively long. Not making payments to them for adjacent different time is simply unacceptable."

"People person gone without for excessively long, not making payments to them for adjacent different time is simply unacceptable," the justice said.

ABC News' Michael Pappano contributed to this report.

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