Two federal judges on Friday ordered the Trump administration to use emergency reserve money to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as the government shutdown continues. But Oregon and Washington SNAP recipients expecting to get benefits the first week of November could still see a delay.
The judges directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use contingency funding appropriated by Congress to fund the food stamp program, which helps more than 757,000 Oregonians and more than 905,000 Washington residents buy groceries. However, they also said the federal government could decide how much money it would use to buoy the program in November.
Some groups expect it will take weeks before the order affects SNAP recipients.
“Assuming access resumes, it’s the best news we have had since the crisis began on October 10th,” said Jimmy Jones, the executive director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, a nonprofit social services provider in Salem that serves Marion and Polk counties. “There is no resource in Oregon that can replace the SNAP investment.”
“Our local low income households will be able to feed their children, pay their rent, and buy medicine for their grandparents,” he said.
The rulings to continue payments came one day before federal funding for the SNAP program was set to run out. That would have left millions of Americans without the benefits they rely on to put food on their tables. In Oregon, more than half of SNAP recipients are seniors, children and people with disabilities, according to state figures.
For now, at least one food assistance provider in Oregon is preparing for delays regardless of the ruling.
“It’s still an all hands on deck crisis,” said Scott Cooper, the executive director of NeighborImpact, which provides anti-poverty services in Central Oregon.
He said food pantries will still have to cover the gap for people who are temporarily going without their benefits.
“Most people’s SNAP ran out a week ago,” said Cooper. Of the federal government, he added: “There’s no way they fund those SNAP cards tomorrow.”
Congress has yet to pass a short-term spending bill to fund programs like SNAP, and the Trump administration said it would not use contingency funds to pay for food assistance.
Two dozen states, including Oregon and Washington, sued the federal government to force it to keep the SNAP program running with its contingency funding.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield responded to Friday’s order in a statement: ““Today’s ruling sends a message that no administration can use hunger as a political weapon.”
In a statement to OPB Friday, Gov. Tina Kotek described the judge’s ruling as “a welcome development.” However, she added: “I stay concerned about the suspension of SNAP benefits that starts tomorrow.”
“Oregonians need help now,” Kotek said.
The Trump administration has argued that it lacks the funds and legal authority to cover the nation’s monthly SNAP costs — about $8 billion — with contingency funding. Earlier this week, Kotek announced that she would send $5 million in state funding to food banks to help address the need created by the expected pause in SNAP payments. Washington’s governor made a similar move, directing $2.2 million to food banks in that state.
“We are still in a hunger emergency,” Kotek said. “The state must continue its emergency work because the federal government hasn’t given Oregon its money yet.”
It’s likely that people will see delays before SNAP funding is deposited onto their debit cards. The federal government is expected to appeal the rulings. Cooper, of NeighborImpact, noted that it could take weeks for the federal government to get its programs up and running, assuming the Trump administration complies with the federal order.
“I don’t even think we can assume that, because they don’t have a great track record of paying attention to federal judges,” said Cooper.
Oregon contracts with a third-party processor to make benefits payments. A spokesperson told OPB before Friday’s ruling that Oregon has never faced a situation like this, and that quick changes to SNAP payment plans could overwhelm the vendor’s systems, potentially causing delays around when the money is issued to recipients.
Sara Campos, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Human Services, which helps administer the SNAP program, said the state agency was “monitoring these rulings closely and working with the Governor’s Office and the Oregon Department of Justice to understand what they mean for people in Oregon.”
“We know this situation is stressful for families who rely on SNAP,” said Campos. “ODHS remains committed to keeping people informed and helping them access food and support during this delay.”
OPB reporter Alejandro Figueroa contributed to this story.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.