The White House will send only partial food aid payments to 42 million low-income Americans as the government shutdown nears a record, officials told a judge on Monday.
Two federal courts ruled last week that the Trump administration must use a $4.65 billion emergency fund toward the estimated $9 billion cost for November’s payments before cutting off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
42 million Americans facing hunger as shutdown enters second month
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Officials for the Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the programme, said in a filing to a federal court in Rhode Island they would not make up the shortfall with other funding sources, meaning only “50 percent of eligible households’ current allotments” would be disbursed.
The US Department of Justice said Monday the USDA is complying with District Judge John McConnell's order to use emergency funds to at least partially cover November's benefits and "will fulfill its obligation to expend the full amount of SNAP contingency funds today".
But while the administration said it would fully deplete the $5.25 billion in contingency funds, it would not use other funding that would allow it to fully fund SNAP benefits, which cost $8 billion to $9 billion per month.
SNAP funding, averaging around $356 per household, lapsed on Saturday, leaving one in eight Americans uncertain of how they will buy groceries.
Read moreFood stamps, the bulwark against hunger for over 40 mn Americans
The government shutdown hits its 36th day on Wednesday, which would beat the record for the longest in history.
At the heart of the fight is allocating money to help Americans cover health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
Democrats are demanding an extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies – a lifeline for more than 20 million people – that are set to expire at year’s end. Unless Congress acts, healthcare premiums will skyrocket when the new sign-up period opens Saturday.
Read more'I can't eat': Millions risk losing food aid during US shutdown
Republicans are hoping at least some Democrats will cave and eventually vote with Republicans on a stopgap budget after weeks of talks about potential compromises that could guarantee votes on health care in exchange for reopening the government. Republicans need five additional Democrats to pass their bill.
The previous shutdown record was set in 2019, when Trump demanded Congress give him money for a US-Mexico border wall.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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