Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) — A U.S. federal judge on Thursday ordered the Donald Trump administration to fully fund November's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by Friday amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.
"People have gone too long without payments. Not paying them for even one more day is simply unacceptable," said John McConnell, a judge in the federal district court of Rhode Island.
On Friday, he said the Agriculture Department should fund SNAP from the reserve fund "as soon as possible."
On Monday, the agency announced that a total of $4.65 billion from the reserve fund will be used to pay SNAP benefits for November. This will cover 50 percent of current payments to eligible households.
However, on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump wrote on the social media platform TruthSocial that SNAP funds would only be released after the government reopens, blaming "radical left Democrats" for the shutdown.
In his latest ruling, issued Thursday, McConnell criticized the Trump administration for partially making payments and chided the president for his statement of "intent to violate" the court's order.
That same day, Justice Department lawyers said they planned to appeal both Thursday's ruling and McConnell's earlier order allocating SNAP funding.
The current US government shutdown is now in its sixth week, making it the longest in the country's history, as Congress continues to fail to pass a government funding bill.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer declared on social media on Wednesday that "D. Trump's continued weaponization of hunger is heartless and despicable." A day earlier, he wrote that the Republican president was treating hungry Americans as "political pawns" during the shutdown.
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