Ruling comes in response to a challenge to administration\u2019s offer to only partly fund US food benefits amid shutdown<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A federal judge in Rhode Island<\/a> ordered the Trump administration<\/a> on Thursday to find the money to fully fund food stamps for 42 million low-income Americans in November by Friday, in a rebuke to the government\u2019s plan to only provide reduced aid during the shutdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n US district judge John J McConnell Jr criticized the administration\u2019s plan to partly fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) benefits in November, saying it had failed to comply with an order he issued on Saturday requiring the government to ensure Americans received full or partial benefits no later than Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also said the administration plowed ahead with a plan to partly cover benefits without addressing \u2013 as required\u2013 the fact that in many states, it could take weeks or months to implement the reduced benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe evidence shows that people will go hungry, food pantries will be overburdened, and needless suffering will occur,\u201d McConnell said. \u201cThat\u2019s what irreparable harm here means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The judge added: \u201cThis should never happen in America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n