The Trump administration is appealing a judge's order for it to provide full SNAP food aid benefits to states by Nov. 7.
The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal Nov. 6 – the same day Rhode Island federal Judge John McConnell ordered the administration to make full payments of November SNAP benefits to the states within a day. On Nov. 7, it asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to halt McConnell's order by 4:00 p.m. EDT.
"There is no lawful basis for an order that directs (the U.S. Department of Agriculture) to somehow find $4 billion in the metaphorical couch cushions," the administration said in its request.
McConnell instructed officials to use a combination of contingency funds and other funds he said were available to make the full payments during the federal government shutdown.
The administration previously told McConnell it wouldn't use its discretion to tap into the non-contingency funds in order to make full November payments. It said in a Nov. 6 court filing that Congress meant for those other funds to be used for child nutrition programs, which it said would face "an unprecedented and significant shortfall" if the money were redirected for SNAP benefits.
