PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to use contingency funds to keep SNAP nutritional aid available for needy people. Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. said Trump’s anti-SNAP decision, due to start Saturday, would harm not only poor people who otherwise can’t afford groceries but also would harm local economies. The SNAP program, formerly known as food stamps, helps one in eight U.S. residents with grocery grants that average $185 a month. Judge McConnell ordered Trump to use contingency emergency funds for SNAP. Trump has lied that he has no access to such back-up funds. Ending SNAP funding has been a Trump’ weapon to force Congress to approve his federal budget, which also would cut back healthcare, including Medicare, in order to expand tax breaks for corporations and wealthy people.
Separate orders
The court decisions against Trump in Rhode Island federal court was a response to a lawsuit filed by eight cities and nonprofit and business groups. It was separate from a federal judge’s decision next door in Massachusetts in a case tjat was brought by 23 state attorneys general. The judges:
> Indira Talwani in Massachusetts, an Obama appointee.
> John McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island, an Obama appointee.