SNAP dodges the knife; Trump to work on solution

Two judges one in Boston and the other in Providence explained the Trump administration to keep serving up SNAP That means million people who rely on food stamps in Massachusetts and -plus million nationwide won t have their benefits run out nowadays Friday s decisions follow the lawsuit Democratic-controlled states including Massachusetts filed this week in Boston federal court after the USDA agriculture agency warned that the well has run dry for SNAP benefits The two judges ruled the executive must use exigency reserve funds to fund the operation This all comes as the authorities shutdown hits days this day The SNAP benefits which average around a month per recipient cost the federal executive about billion to provide each month the New York Times reports At core Defendants conclusion that USDA is statutorily prohibited from funding SNAP because Congress has not enacted new appropriations for the current fiscal year is erroneous Boston US District Judge Indira Talwani wrote in her -page order In Rhode Island US District Judge John J McConnell ruled from the bench that the SNAP campaign must be funded with the urgency monies and questioned for a progress statement from the feds by Monday the New York Post broadcasted President Donald Trump called for the U S Senate to initiate the nuclear option and give up the filibuster because the Democrats have gone stone cold crazy That rule requires votes to overcome objections with Senate Republicans holding a - majority The gambit was not adopted on Friday Trump also wrote on Truth Social last night he doesn t want Americans to go hungry so he will work with his administration to keep funding SNAP But he added Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE RULING BODY Prior to the court s decisions Boston Mayor Michelle Wu blasted the president for playing politics with hunger while laying out techniques the city planned to keep feeding low-income residents We are gathered here from across the region because we will never back down from fulfilling the promise of the America our cities have fought to create Wu explained Friday at a City Hall press conference In our city food isn t a bargaining chip It s a human right Wu released a new partnership between the City of Boston and The Boston Foundation to provide relief for low-income residents and families It involves the creation of an exigency sponsorship fund with a million initial venture that will be used to help residents pay for groceries and other basic demands she commented The mayor also communicated a citywide outreach effort to ensure all residents have every viable fund to afford food and basic necessities More than Boston residents or one-fifth of Boston residents and households participated in SNAP in September The average monthly benefit is per household Wu s office revealed An average of million per month in SNAP dollars were spent at Boston grocery stores farmers markets and other food retailers last year More than half of Boston s SNAP spending occurs in the low-income minority communities of Roxbury Dorchester Mattapan and Hyde Park While the president plays politics with hunger Boston is determined to protect our residents with every attainable stock and stand with our population fighting back against these illegal and immoral actions Wu disclosed Judge Talwani ruled in a written opinion that the USDA has to pay for SNAP calling the suspension unlawful and she ordered the federal regime to advise the court by Monday as to whether they will use the urgency reserve funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits for November or fully fund the plan using both contingency funds and additional available funds Herald wire services contributed