Thus NOT supporting Trump reproach to the Federal Judge to ‘find the money’…
This was another effort to play ‘chicken’ that failed to get Democrats to fold and let Trump &. Co. get what they want….
It took a Federal Judge to get around House Speaker Johnson and Trump & Co.
The Trump administration on Monday agreed to move billions of emergency dollars to partially pay for food aid this month in response to a federal judge’s order, though some families may not receive benefits for weeks.
Officials will use $4.65 billion from USDA’s contingency fund to support roughly half of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants’ “current allotments” as the shutdown drags on, according to a new legal filing.
USDA said the plan will leave no money for any new SNAP applicants who applied for the program in November. The administration also refused to tap other funds — like one that holds unused tariff revenue dedicated to child nutrition programs — in order to match the full $8 billion that’s needed for SNAP benefits.
“Section 32 Child Nutrition Program funds are not a contingency fund for SNAP,” wrote Patrick Penn, USDA deputy undersecretary for Food and Nutrition Services in a statement to the court. “Using billions of dollars from Child Nutrition for SNAP would leave an unprecedented gap in Child Nutrition funding that Congress has never had to fill with annual appropriations, and USDA cannot predict what Congress will do under these circumstances.”
SNAP, which serves nearly 42 million Americans, ran out of federal funding for the first time in history last weekend, leaving states, food banks and nonprofit organizations scrambling to fill in the gap….
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The Trump administration quietly readied $450 million on Friday to fund a nutrition program for low-income mothers and infants as the government shutdown drags on, according to two people familiar with the decision.
Officials pulled the extra money from a fund of unused tariff revenue for USDA child nutrition programs just before the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children was set to run out of money Nov. 1. It’s the second time the administration has tapped the Section 32 fund to keep those benefits afloat, after announcing a $300 million emergency cash infusion last month….
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WIC delivers tailored nutrition, infant formula and breastfeeding support to nearly 7 million people.
The new funds are estimated to last between two to three weeks, but may run out more quickly due to growing caseloads and other factors. The $300 million the Trump administration previously sent states supported the program for roughly two weeks….
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