Washington, DC – On the 32nd day of the government shutdown, a ruling by two federal judges eased the pressure on the US government. They ordered the Trump administration to use an emergency fund to continue paying food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), whose funding was set to expire on Saturday.
President Trump stated that funding for the SNAP program would be provided if the administration received “appropriate legal guidance from the court.”
The SNAP program is a vital federal program, providing food assistance to approximately 42 million Americans. Concerns have been raised that the loss of funding could exacerbate the hardship faced by low-income families.
Pressuring lawmakers
The freeze on federal funding for SNAP added further pressure on lawmakers to reach an agreement to reopen the federal government. While court rulings have at least temporarily resolved the funding issue for SNAP, three other federal programs are still on the verge of losing funding as Saturday approaches, threatening to worsen the crisis for many families who rely on these benefits.
It highlights the division of opinions within Congress.
Earlier today, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed that his position on blocking legislation remains “unchanged,” despite President Trump’s call for the Senate to invoke the “nuclear option” to end the shutdown.
In a post on TruthSocial late Thursday, Trump called for the elimination of the 60-vote requirement for most legislation to pass in the Senate. This would allow Republicans to fund the government without Democratic support. However, Ryan Worras, a spokesman for Thune, emphasized that “Leader Thune’s position on the importance of filibuster remains unchanged.” He noted that Thune had stressed earlier this month that “filibuster has been a bulwark against many of the bad things that have happened to the country.”
