The Supreme Court will continue to block a judge’s order requiring Donald Trump’s administration to fully fund a critical food assistance program that helps prevent millions of Americans from going hungry.
The nation’s highest court extended a pause on that order for another two days as Congress inches closer to ending the government shutdown with passage of a temporary funding bill that is expected to restart funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
A brief order from the court Tuesday night noted that liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson would have rejected the Trump administration’s request and allowed the lower-court order requiring the government to fully fund the program to stand.
The Supreme Court’s order remains in effect until midnight Thursday. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on a temporary funding measure to reopen the government Wednesday night.
For the second time within four days, the administration called on the Supreme Court Monday to continue blocking lower court orders that required the government to fully fund SNAP to ensure nearly 42 million Americans and their families receive full benefits this month.
Last week, District Judge John McConnell ordered the administration to fully fund the program after finding that the government failed to address any administrative issues that prevented states from quickly sending out at least partial benefits.
A federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration’s appeal, and the administration then swiftly appealed to the nation’s high court, which hours later granted Trump’s request to temporarily freeze the judge’s order while the legal challenge plays out.
The legal back-and-forth and conflicting guidance from government agencies has left families in limbo, unsure when or how they can afford groceries without critical SNAP benefits.
