U.S. Supreme Court issues emergency order to block full SNAP food aid payments

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday approved the Trump administration’s emergency request to temporarily halt a lower court’s order requiring full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food aid payments during the government shutdown, sparking fresh uncertainty over the distribution of the nation’s largest anti-hunger program.
Last week, shortly before the funding was set to run out, John McConnell, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, said that the Agriculture Department must fund SNAP with a contingency fund “as soon as possible.”
On Monday, the department said that a total of 4.65 billion U.S. dollars in a contingency fund will be used for November SNAP benefits, which could cover 50 percent of eligible households’ current allotments.