Supreme Court blocks lower court order forcing Trump administration to fully fund SNAP program

By Fox News · Fox News

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary block on Friday on a lower court's order requiring the Trump administration to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program amid the government shutdown. The decision came shortly after a federal appeals court on Friday denied a Trump administration request to temporarily block the lower court ruling. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell rejected the administration's effort to only partially fund the benefits program for some 42 million low-income Americans for November as the shutdown drags on, giving the government 24 hours to comply. "People have gone without for too long," McConnell said in court. DOJ ACCUSES FEDERAL JUDGE OF ‘MAKING MOCKERY OF THE SEPARATION OF POWERS’ IN SNAP APPEAL After the appeals court ruling, the Trump administration filed the emergency appeal to SCOTUS late Friday. "Given the imminent, irreparable harms posed by these orders, which require the government to transfer an estimated $4 billion by tonight, the Solicitor General respectfully requests an immediate administrative stay of the orders pending the resolution of this application by no later than 9:30pm this evening," an administration spokesperson told Fox News. New York Attorney General Letitia James responded to the Supreme Court decision Friday, calling it a "tragedy." "This decision is a tragedy for the millions of Americans who rely on SNAP to feed their families. It is disgraceful that the Trump administration chose to fight this in court instead of fulfilling its responsibility to the American people," she said in a statement. The Supreme Court ruling came after the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday said it is working to comply with a judge’s order to fully fund the program for November. In a letter sent to all regional directors of the SNAP program on Friday, Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, said, "FNS is working towards implementing Nov…