Live updates: Judge orders SNAP funded despite shutdown; GOP debates filibuster
By: The Hill staff (The Hill)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Department of Agriculture to tap its emergency funds to keep the program feeding millions of Americans afloat amid the government shutdown.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell's ruling prevents the administration from completely drying up the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for more than 40 million Americans starting Saturday. "SNAP benefits have never, until now, been terminated," he said at a hearing, ordering $5.25 billion be released.
Meanwhile, on the 31st day of the government shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) warned against ending the filibuster, an action President Trump insisted the Senate take to pass the government funding bill with a simple majority.
Trump posted Thursday night on Truth Social that it was "time" for the GOP to use the so-called nuclear option to "Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!"
Johnson noted the "important safeguard" the filibuster offers. "If the shoe was on the other foot, I don't think our team would like it."
Trump left the White House on Friday morning for a weekend at his Florida estate after returning Thursday from a five-day, three-country swing through Asia and an evening of Halloween celebration at the White House.
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Everyone in Congress and the administration will try to take credit for this decision.
Lets do the Math, Snap spends about 100 billion a year, that is about 2 billion a week, so this Judge just bought the democrats 2.5 to 3 weeks before they are under the gun again.
I think the shutdown will be settled next week.
When the government is shut down we should not have to pay taxes to it.
And their salaries withheld.
When the government is shut down we should prorate the Congressional pay for the days they fuck around.
See? We do not need elected officials.
What an insane, lawless overreach.
Activist judges are the actual danger to democracy.
Evidently, didn't get the memo from SCOTUS - you ain't the friggin' boss - get over it.
Argentina gets $40 Billion, (which no one in America asked for) but the government has to be ordered to feed hungry Americans.
The government can't legally use those contingency funds for SNAP payments
Lawmaker: Federal Government Can't Use Contingency Funds to Pay SNAP
Democrats and Republicans Clash Over SNAP Contingency Funds
I don't know if that's true. The Trump administration did use the contingency funds during a previous shutdown in his first term.
Even if you assume the president has the legal authority to use contingency funds, the problem is an unelected district court judge ordering the president on how to his exercise discretionary power.
He should his power to resign. Or should we say abdicate?
Yes, I agree with that. This bit about judge shopping and partisanship has gotten out of hand and needs to be fixed. Judges are doing it because Congress has gotten so fucked up they have hamstrung themselves. I would say we need a Constitutional Convention to fix Congress and impose term limits (as well as a few other things) but I'm also very concerned about all the other crap that would come up. The American public is also so divided. The teaching of civics in public schools has declined so much since the 60's that a great many people just don't know how government is supposed to work.
The other issue is that normal SNAP funding is around $9.3 Billion a month. The $5 to $6 Billion available in the contingency funds would only cover a couple of weeks and would remain empty until a new budget is passed. If there is a national disaster that occurs before it's refunded then there's no money for emergency food issues that could arise.
He was elected to exercise his discretionary powers. That’s how democracy works. If you don’t like it, vote for the opposition.
yet again, this shows how progressives think “democracy” is just unelected people exercising arbitrary powers to achieve the goals they want.
Trump should resign because he is a criminal who belongs in prison.
An excellent ruling by a common sense judge.
Republicans hold all the levers of power but they blame the Democrats because they think they are entitled to their votes. Meanwhile, Trump and his reactionary supporters would rather let American children starve than talk to the Democrats about reaching a compromise. The voters will not look favorably on the Republicans in the next elections.
The Republicans want to OPEN the government, which is why they vote YES for a clean CR, the Dems want to keep it CLOSED and keep voting NO.
The voters are smart enough to figure it out.
The Republicans could open the government today if they wanted to. Oh yeah, they're not in Washington. Most of them are at home with their thumbs up their ...
The voters know who the problem is, and they don't think it's the Democrats.
The republicans can’t open the government without agreeing to the graft the democrats are demanding, I say keep it shut down. No pay-offs for votes.
Yes, and all they have to do is give in to the extortion. The dems could open it up by voting to open it up
... and kick 20 million Americans off their health insurance... and starve poor children...
Got it. The Republican Way.
Your claim of "extortion" is a distortion.
Exactly what democrats are doing to extort the government to buy votes.
That’s not actually a thing. No one is asking for that.