Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On November 7th local time, the Trump administration filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals, requesting a stay of enforcement of a federal judge's ruling ordering full payment of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) benefits.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell ruled on November 6th that the Trump administration must pay the full amount of SNAP benefits for November by November at the latest by November 7th.
After the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would not pay November SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown, McConnell ordered the federal government to use emergency funds to keep the program running on October 31st. The Department of Agriculture stated on November 3rd that it would use emergency funds to maintain half of this month's food assistance payments, but some states might have to wait weeks or even months for the funds to arrive. On November 5th, the Department of Agriculture stated again that, after recalculation, it had sufficient funds to pay 65% of the food assistance payments.
Due to the depletion of funds, SNAP benefits have been suspended since November 1st. As a crucial component of the U.S. social security system, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) program covers 42 million people, approximately one-eighth of the total U.S. population, most of whom live below the poverty line. The program spends over $8 billion monthly. This is reportedly the first time in the 60-year history of SNAP that benefits have been suspended; previously, even during federal government shutdowns, benefits had never been interrupted. (CCTV reporter Cao Jian)
