Nov. 2 (UPI) -- At least 42 million Americans could begin receiving SNAP benefits by the middle of the week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday. Funding for the program was set to run out Nov. 1 amid the government shutdown, now in its sixth week.
Two federal judges ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must use emergency funding to pay for the social service during the budget impasse that led the government to shutter services, many of them critical for tens of millions of Americans.
While the judge's order narrowly averted the suspension of SNAP benefits, it could take as long as two weeks before the benefits resume.
"There's a process that has to be followed," Bessent said Sunday on CNN"s State of the Union. "So, we've got to figure out what the process is."
Bessent acknowledged that two weeks is a long time for people who need food, and added that the administration would not appeal the ruling.
