People who receive SNAP food assistance in Oregon will see benefits loaded into their accounts on Friday, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek announced.
“As of this morning, Oregon families are beginning to access their full November SNAP benefits restored on their Oregon Trail Cards,” Kotek said in a statement Friday morning. “This means all Oregonians receiving SNAP will have their full monthly benefit available now, regardless of their usual payment schedule.”
The Oregon Department of Human Services urged SNAP recipients to check their EBT card balances before making a trip to the grocery store.
Kotek said the Trump Administration’s decision to withhold food assistance from families in need was cruel and unlawful.
“Oregonians shouldn’t have to wait for a court order to get the help they qualify for and need,” Kotek said. “I’m grateful to the federal courts for upholding the law and to our state teams who worked through the night to make sure every Oregon family relying on SNAP could buy groceries today and through the weekend.”
Last Wednesday, Kotek declared a hunger emergency and authorized $5 million in available funds to help emergency food pantries. On Thursday, the governor announced $1 million to Tribal governments for emergency assistance.
People who have funds on their EBT cards can use those benefits, even as the shutdown and the national court battle continue.
Visit the Oregon Department of Human Services website for more information
The Trump administration on Friday morning asked a federal appeals court to block a judge’s Thursday order to distribute November’s full SNAP benefits amid the shutdown.
U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. had given the administration until Friday to make the SNAP payments. But the administration continued working to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than it says is available in a contingency fund.
Meanwhile, other states including Wisconsin have also started distributing the payments.
The ongoing court battle adds to weeks of uncertainty for the food program, which serves about 1 in 8 Americans.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.