By Helen Coster
NEW YORK (Reuters) -A federal court in Rhode Island on Saturday ordered the Trump administration to make full food aid benefit payments by Monday, or partial payments by Wednesday, while acknowledging the "irreparable harm" that exists without their timely payment.
The Rhode Island case is one of two lawsuits filed to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture's suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, known as SNAP or food stamps.
In a ruling issued on Friday,
Judge John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island rejected the USDA's argument that it could not fund SNAP because of the ongoing federal shutdown.
McConnell's Saturday order gave President Donald Trump's administration a Monday deadline to present a plan to pay full benefits on that day, or at least partial payments two days later.
At the end of Friday's hearing, McConnell said the administration's decision not to tap $5.25 billion in contingency funds to fund November benefits was arbitrary.
He said the agency must distribute the emergency money "as soon as possible," and if the money was insufficient, the agency should determine whether it could use money from a separate fund that has around $23 billion.
SNAP benefits are available to Americans whose income is less than 130% of the federal poverty line, or $1,632 a month for a one-person household and $2,215 for a two-person household in many areas. States are responsible for the day-to-day administration of the benefits, which are paid out monthly.
The prolonged government shutdown, for which both parties have blamed each other, has put SNAP benefits in jeopardy.
The USDA has said insufficient funds exist to pay full benefits to 42 million low-income Americans, as they cost $8.5 billion to $9 billion per month.
The administration said the agency lacked authority to pay them until Congress passes a spending bill to end a government shutdown that began October 1.
(Reporting by Helen Coster; Editing by Jamie Freed)
