Judges Order Trump To Continue SNAP Benefits: What It Means For WI

Two federal judges ruled on Friday that the Trump Administration must continue to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for Americans.

The ruling requires Trump to tap into the $5 billion in contingency funds to keep the food aid program going, funds the administration recently announced it would not use.

More than 700,000 Wisconsin residents currently use SNAP benefits.

The two judges, from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, gave the administration some say in whether the program will be partially or fully funded in November, but SNAP benefits will go out one way or the other.

SNAP benefits were set to pause on Saturday, after the Department of Agriculture issued a statement saying “the well has run dry.”

It was not made immediately clear when the EBT cards, the debit cards that those enrolled in SNAP use to buy groceries, will be reloaded.

Nationally, more than 62 percent of nearly 41.7 million SNAP participants are in families with children; 37 percent are in families with members who are older adults or disabled; and more than 38 percent are in working families, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Need help with food in Wisconsin?

211 Wisconsin helps people find not only food, but also other local services they may need. Anyone can use 211 to get help by:

• Dialing 211 or 877-947-2211.
• Texting their ZIP code to 898211.
• Visiting the 211 website

The Associated Press and Sarah Salvadore contributed reporting.