Trump Urges Democrats to ‘End the Charade,’ Seeks Clarity on Food Aid Funding Amid Shutdown Court Ruling
US President questions legal authority to fund food aid after conflicting court rulings; says Democrats must reopen the government to avoid delays in benefits.
Washington, Nov 1: US President Donald Trump has directed government lawyers to seek urgent clarification from the courts on whether the administration can legally fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the ongoing government shutdown.
The move comes after two federal judges, in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, ruled that the government could use emergency contingency funds to continue providing food stamp benefits for November.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said his administration’s lawyers believe the government currently lacks the legal authority to release SNAP funds from existing reserves.
“Our government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay SNAP with certain monies we have available, and now two courts have issued conflicting opinions on what we can and cannot do. I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,” Trump wrote.
He added that even if immediate court guidance is received, the delay caused by the shutdown has already disrupted the process of delivering benefits.
“If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will be my honor to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay,” he said.
Trump also accused Democrats of using the situation for political gain.
“The Democrats should quit this charade where they hurt people for their own political reasons and immediately reopen the government,” he said, urging SNAP recipients to “call Senate Democrats” and demand action.
The conflicting rulings have created uncertainty over whether the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) can access approximately USD 5.3 billion in contingency funds to sustain SNAP, which typically costs between USD 8 billion and USD 9 billion per month.
US District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island stated that the contingency funds were “appropriated funds necessary to carry out the program’s operation,” noting that a shutdown “doesn’t do away with SNAP it just does away with the funding of it.”
Despite the rulings, USDA officials cautioned that millions of beneficiaries could face delays in November payments, as state agencies would need time to process and distribute funds once legal clarity is obtained.
The SNAP program, a cornerstone of America’s food security system, has never failed to deliver benefits during a government shutdown in its decades-long history, though it faced significant strain during the 2018–2019 federal closure.
