Judge Orders Trump Administration to Fully Fund SNAP Benefits by Friday, Rebukes Trump

[Frank Underwood]

With the current government shutdown going into a record-breaking 38 days, The Trump Administration has been cruelly toying with people's SNAP benefits. Trump originally planned on withholding all SNAP benefits for the month of November, but two judges said that was unlawful. Trump was then going to issue half of SNAP benefits until U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ordered that full benefits be paid out. JD Vance called the ruling "absurd." They don't even bother hiding their disdain for the poor anymore. As someone who relies on SNAP benefits, I'm glad this judge forced Trump's hand and ended his cruel position of using SNAP benefits as a bargaining chip.

Of course, that's just part of the GOP's cruelty. The reason the government shutdown in the first place is because Republicans want to increase health insurance costs while making deep cuts to Medicaid (which Trump originally said he "wouldn't touch.") It's clear that Trump's "MAGA" rhetoric is a bunch of bull. He doesn't care about the welfare of American citizens because he's too busy sending billions to countries like Israel and Argentina. Not to mention building a shrine for himself with his stupid new ballroom.

While none of this negates the criticisms I've made of Democrats in the past, I will say they're at least smart enough to know you can't strip your own citizens down raw. The Dems are in bed with the corporations and the military industrial complex just as much as the Republicans, but they know you have to provide the bare minimum to the poor in order to placate them. Republicans used to understand that to some degree as well, but not anymore. Trump's feeling it now, as his approval rating has taken a hit over SNAP.

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-ord...n-fully-fund-snap-benefits/story?id=127273708

 

[Frank Underwood]

Joe Biden was praised for putting a woman of color on the Supreme Court, and she just sided with Trump on this issue.

I can't say that I'm surprised, as our entire government is a disgrace.

Source: Ketanji Brown Jackson halts order requiring full SNAP payments, for now

 

[Angela Channing]

What makes me angry is that American voted for this cruelty. Project 2025 was explicit in its proposals for major cuts to SNAP and Medicaid and it should have been obvious to everyone that Project 2025 was going to be the blueprint for his second Presidential term. In less than one year into his administration, he has already enacted 115 of the 317 goals outlined in the plan.

Project 2025 agenda is about halfway to completion in Trump’s first six months

The swath of executive orders and memoranda he’s implemented align with some 115 of the right-wing blueprint’s 317 goals, an online tracker finds

www.independent.co.uk

If you want to know what horrors America can expect over the remainder of his time in office, look at Project 2025.

Although Ketanji Brown Jackson's ruling regarding SNAP payments is disappointing, her reasoning is more nuanced than Frank is suggesting. She wasn't siding with Trump and emphasised that her decision wasn't about the legal merits of the case but the temporary halt to the lower court's ruling was necessary to give the Appeals Court time to rule on the issue to avoid procedural confusion. However, the result is that millions of Americans who relay on SNAP payments will not get their money which ultimately was always part of Trump's plan.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Although Ketanji Brown Jackson's ruling regarding SNAP payments is disappointing, her reasoning is more nuanced than Frank is suggesting. She wasn't siding with Trump and emphasised that her decision wasn't about the legal merits of the case but the temporary halt to the lower court's ruling was necessary to give the Appeals Court time to rule on the issue to avoid procedural confusion. However, the result is that millions of Americans who relay on SNAP payments will not get their money which ultimately was always part of Trump's plan.

A lot of Americans who never considered voting for Trump in 2016 or 2020, wound up doing so in 2024 out of desperation. The Democrats were giving the working-class nothing but identitarian platitudes (while claiming to have fixed everything). The vacant Dems drove voters into the arms of the orange gas bag, so their panicked vote for Trump is more nuanced than you're suggesting.

Both parties are bought out by the corporation and blackmailed by one middleeastern country.

 

[KayLloyd]

The Democrats voted to pay themselves while everyone else is going without a paycheck or their SNAP benefits just to swing the mid-term elections next year, and the blue state governors spent their crucial reserve money to prioritize illegal aliens for votes. Let THAT cruelty sink in.

 

[Angela Channing]

A lot of Americans who never considered voting for Trump in 2016 or 2020, wound up doing so in 2024 out of desperation. The Democrats were giving the working-class nothing but identitarian platitudes (while claiming to have fixed everything). The vacant Dems drove voters into the arms of the orange gas bag, so their panicked vote for Trump is more nuanced than you're suggesting.

Both parties are bought out by the corporation and blackmailed by one middleeastern country.

I agree with some of what you say.

People were disenchanted with the Democrats because they were struggling to pay the bills as the cost of living was high and wages weren't rising high enough. I'm not sure how much "identitarian platitudes" the Democrats were giving voters as I don't recall that playing any part in Kamala Harris's Presidential campaign.

I think the sad reality is that people are getting what they voted for, only they didn't look close enough at what their vote would mean.

The Democrats voted to pay themselves while everyone else is going without a paycheck or their SNAP benefits just to swing the mid-term elections next year, and the blue state governors spent their crucial reserve money to prioritize illegal aliens for votes. Let THAT cruelty sink in.

I haven't got a clue what any of that refers to or whether it has any basis in reality. It sound like MAGA fantasy propaganda.

When did Democrats vote to pay themselves anything? There currently is no budget to pay anyone. Which governors are spending their reserves on aliens and what are they deprioritising to do that?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I think the sad reality is that people are getting what they voted for, only they didn't look close enough at what their vote would mean.

But voting basically doesn't work anymore; our choices are so controlled. It's like drinking either hemlock or diet hemlock.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Of all the impersonations of political figures I've seen over the decades, I think the ones of Trump (the good ones, and there are several) are amongst my favorites.

They say the trick to getting down a good satirical impersonation -- along with the voice, gestures, and physicality -- is the attitude of the person you're targeting. And the ones who "get" Trump really get him.

 

[Frank Underwood]

What makes me angry is that American voted for this cruelty. Project 2025 was explicit in its proposals for major cuts to SNAP and Medicaid and it should have been obvious to everyone that Project 2025 was going to be the blueprint for his second Presidential term. In less than one year into his administration, he has already enacted 115 of the 317 goals outlined in the plan.

Project 2025 agenda is about halfway to completion in Trump’s first six months

The swath of executive orders and memoranda he’s implemented align with some 115 of the right-wing blueprint’s 317 goals, an online tracker finds

www.independent.co.uk

If you want to know what horrors America can expect over the remainder of his time in office, look at Project 2025.

Presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle have talked about going after entitlement programs for ages. However, this is the first time that SNAP benefits were cut off completely. I didn't vote Democrat or Republican because both parties supported the cruelty happening in Gaza (among other places.) That said, my prediction that things would remain stagnant (at worst) domestically under Trump was false. Even George W. Bush didn't take away our crumbs while he immorally bombed Iraq and Afghanistan.

I'm not sure how familiar the average voter is with Project 2025 since Trump did his best to sweep it under the rug and pretend he had nothing to do with it. Like most politicians, he also spoke out of both sides of his mouth. At one point, he promised he "wouldn't touch" Medicaid. Politicians lie, of course, but the voters were desperate. If they're doing poorly during an election year, they will often choose the opposing party. You seem to understand that, having said "People were disenchanted with the Democrats because they were struggling to pay the bills as the cost of living was high and wages weren't rising high enough." And that's exactly what can swing an election. Likewise, Trump was forced to acknowledge that "the shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans" when it came to Dem election wins last Tuesday.

As for "identitarian platitudes," Harris did a skit at the Al Smith dinner about why we should vote for a woman. The Dems also ran ads that encouraged women to "make the right choice" and vote for Harris, while the husbands in the ads were portrayed as MAGA and expected their wives to vote for Trump. Ultimately, they just insulted both sexes.

Although Ketanji Brown Jackson's ruling regarding SNAP payments is disappointing, her reasoning is more nuanced than Frank is suggesting. She wasn't siding with Trump and emphasised that her decision wasn't about the legal merits of the case but the temporary halt to the lower court's ruling was necessary to give the Appeals Court time to rule on the issue to avoid procedural confusion. However, the result is that millions of Americans who relay on SNAP payments will not get their money which ultimately was always part of Trump's plan.

At least nine states had already issued full SNAP benefits (including my state of Washington) before Jackson's ruling.

Nuanced or not, the ruling ensures that some people will receive far less for the time being while others were made whole.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

When the Republicans are in total control, they grab bread from the mouths of starving children to pay for their weapons and to reward the oligarchs.

When the Democrats are in total control, they grab bread from the mouths of starving children (replacing it with the genitalia of drag queens during story hour) for their weapons and to reward the oligarchs.

So at least with the Democrats, the kids get to eat. (Although I suspect the Republicans feed them, too -- if you know what I mean).

It's SNAP versus MAP.

 

[Angela Channing]

Presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle have talked about going after entitlement programs for ages. However, this is the first time that SNAP benefits were cut off completely. I didn't vote Democrat or Republican because both parties supported the cruelty happening in Gaza (among other places.) That said, my prediction that things would remain stagnant (at worst) domestically under Trump was false. Even George W. Bush didn't take away our crumbs while he immorally bombed Iraq and Afghanistan.

I'm not sure how familiar the average voter is with Project 2025 since Trump did his best to sweep it under the rug and pretend he had nothing to do with it. Like most politicians, he also spoke out of both sides of his mouth. At one point, he promised he "wouldn't touch" Medicaid. Politicians lie, of course, but the voters were desperate. If they're doing poorly during an election year, they will often choose the opposing party. You seem to understand that, having said "People were disenchanted with the Democrats because they were struggling to pay the bills as the cost of living was high and wages weren't rising high enough." And that's exactly what can swing an election. Likewise, Trump was forced to acknowledge that "the shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans" when it came to Dem election wins last Tuesday.

As for "identitarian platitudes," Harris did a skit at the Al Smith dinner about why we should vote for a woman. The Dems also ran ads that encouraged women to "make the right choice" and vote for Harris, while the husbands in the ads were portrayed as MAGA and expected their wives to vote for Trump. Ultimately, they just insulted both sexes.


At least nine states had already issued full SNAP benefits (including my state of Washington) before Jackson's ruling.

Nuanced or not, the ruling ensures that some people will receive far less for the time being while others were made whole.

There was a clear difference between the two Presidential candidates though: Kamala Harris consistently supported expanding and protecting SNAP benefits whereas, Trump was always looking at how he could cut them.

You said 9 states have already issued full SNAP benefits, I'm guessing they are mostly, if not all, Democratic states.

The Democrats are far from perfect but they are a lot better than Trump is proving to be.

I think its a bit unfair to blame Ketanji Brown Jackson for stopping the resumption on SNAP benefits, she is just following the law as it is written. I'm not an expert in American constitutional law so I don't how much leeway she had to doing something different but in general, I think Supreme Court Justices should uphold the law rather than freelancing in the way that many of the current Justices seem to enjoy doing a bit too much since Trump came to power.

 

[Frank Underwood]

There was a clear difference between the two Presidential candidates though: Kamala Harris consistently supported expanding and protecting SNAP benefits whereas, Trump was always looking at how he could cut them.

I don't recall SNAP being a primary issue for Harris, but even if it was, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. After all, her former boss promised to raise the minimum wage, yet that never happened. He did, however, discuss cutting Social Security and Medicare throughout his political career. Harris herself once vowed support for universal healthcare before flip flopping on it. Like I said, politicians lie. That said, I do believe SNAP would have at least continued as is if Harris had won (I previously said as much.)

You said 9 states have already issued full SNAP benefits, I'm guessing they are mostly, if not all, Democratic states.

The Democrats are far from perfect but they are a lot better than Trump is proving to be.

Better for some, but not for others. Gaza (among other places) suffers either way.

Establishment Dems don't like entitlement programs any more than the Republicans do (look at "welfare reform" in the 90s as an example.) However, I never expected a Democratic or a Republican administration would be dumb enough to cut them off completely. As I said before, even a neocon like George W. Bush didn't pull a stunt like this.

And while I understand why the Dems are voting to keep the government closed, this stale mate won't achieve anything because the GOP will not budge.

I think its a bit unfair to blame Ketanji Brown Jackson for stopping the resumption on SNAP benefits, she is just following the law as it is written. I'm not an expert in American constitutional law so I don't how much leeway she had to doing something different but in general, I think Supreme Court Justices should uphold the law rather than freelancing in the way that many of the current Justices seem to enjoy doing a bit too much since Trump came to power.

I'd agree under normal circumstances, but I'm okay with activist judges when it comes to not letting poor people go hungry.

That said, I know that Trump is primarily to blame. Of course, he's now using her ruling to try to force the states that issued full SNAP benefits to reverse them.

 

[Frank Underwood]

And while I understand why the Dems are voting to keep the government closed, this stale mate won't achieve anything because the GOP will not budge.

Just as I thought. I was just on X when I came across this:

Senate Deal Ends Historic 40-Day Shutdown Without ACA Subsidy Extension
Last updated 2 minutes ago
Bipartisan Senate negotiators agreed on November 9, 2025, to reopen federal operations through January 30, 2026, concluding the longest U.S. government shutdown in history, but the deal omits extensions for Affordable Care Act subsidies, potentially doubling premiums for 20 million Americans and causing coverage losses for millions. The agreement, supported by at least eight to ten Democrats including Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, and Angus King, drew fierce opposition from progressives like Senators Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer, who voted against it and warned of severe healthcare impacts. President Donald J. Trump celebrated the outcome as a Republican victory on immigration and healthcare demands, while the compromise highlights deepening Democratic divisions over strategy.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

The Democrats voted to pay themselves while everyone else is going without a paycheck or their SNAP benefits just to swing the mid-term elections next year, and the blue state governors spent their crucial reserve money to prioritize illegal aliens for votes. Let THAT cruelty sink in.

It is quite interesting that the shutdown impasse is ending AFTER the elections, with essentially the same initial content. Interesting that Democrats succeeded in the elections by blaming Republicans, even though 60 votes are required in the Senate, indicating that it was DEMOCRATS who stalled it with their intransigence because the Republicans hold 53 seats. Rs could not have waved a magic wand and passed it.

Wait for the cruelty in NYC. Promises of free transportation, city run grocery stores, huge increases in the minimum wage, etc.
In the movie "Back to School" how did Rodney Dangerfield describe it? Fantasyland LOL
Lost in that platform is how to fund these grand schemes.
And as housing becomes more unaffordable, landlords will purchase more and more properties and raise rents
So much for advancing the benefits for the poor

Ds will do what they always do - raise Taxes on the disappearing middle class

But they will say that they are raising taxes on the millionaires and big companies, forgetting that those millionaires and companies
will depart the city if they could, raise prices if they stay, cut payrolls if they stay, and exacerbate the hardships of the poor while further decimating the middle class.

But then again, perhaps others would call this cynicism naive.

 

[CeeCee72]

I, for one, am absolutely furious that the Dems caved to Trump AGAIN. What is the point of keeping the government shut down for 40 days if you were just going to roll over and accept a"deal" with NO guarantees that the Republicans will EVER address the skyrocketing ACA premiums?

As far as SNAP benefits go, it is very important to remember that Trump COULD have funded the program during the shutdown but CHOSE not to. He was willing to use hungry American as leverage and it worked.

Art of the deal,I guess.

 

[KayLloyd]

I, for one, am absolutely furious that the Dems caved to Trump AGAIN. What is the point of keeping the government shut down for 40 days if you were just going to roll over and accept a"deal" with NO guarantees that the Republicans will EVER address the skyrocketing ACA premiums?

As far as SNAP benefits go, it is very important to remember that Trump COULD have funded the program during the shutdown but CHOSE not to. He was willing to use hungry American as leverage and it worked.

Art of the deal,I guess.

And I for one am glad that 8 Democrats had the guts to stop the country from being held hostage any longer. As for the SNAP benefits, they would have been paid if blue state governors hadn't squandered all of their reserve funds on illegals instead of legal citizens.

 

[CeeCee72]

And I for one am glad that 8 Democrats had the guts to stop the country from being held hostage any longer. As for the SNAP benefits, they would have been paid if blue state governors hadn't squandered all of their reserve funds on illegals instead of legal citizens.

So it's all the fault of blue state governors? That's laughably false. Besides RED states are by FAR the largest consumers (by percentage of population) of SNAP benefits. I'm assuming their governors didn't squander money to illegals? And yet - those red state residents also got no benefits.

Trump hurt his own supporters much more than he hurt blue states. Same will be true when ACA premiums and private healthcare premiums sky rocket soon, but sure you will blame the Democrats for that one too.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

It is quite interesting that the shutdown impasse is ending AFTER the elections, with essentially the same initial content

Yes.

But they will say that they are raising taxes on the millionaires and big companies, forgetting that those millionaires and companies
will depart the city if they could, raise prices if they stay, cut payrolls if they stay, and exacerbate the hardships of the poor while further decimating the middle class.

So we should never tax the rich?

Trump hurt his own supporters much more than he hurt blue states. Same will be true when ACA premiums and private healthcare premiums sky rocket soon, but sure you will blame the Democrats for that one too.

Both parties are garbage and work for the same benefactors, let's face it.

It's a game. It's a dance. It's to trick us all into thinking "our party" is the good one.

While they both screw over the working class, each pretending to be shocked at the draconian harshness (or the stupidity) of the other.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Nancy Pelosi posted up a staggering 16,930% return on investment, beat the market by 581%: Here are her 5 biggest wins​

An absolutely amazing performance. Beyond awesome.
The greatest financial wizards on Wall Street can't generate anything close to this excellence.

So that a future shutdown does not lead to a repeat of the current situation (the one where the party that LOST the election, the House and the Senate refused to move forward with the same basic items that they agreed to later), there is at least one possible solution. Perhaps the "compassionate" (LOL) Ds - the ones who funded the campaign of the failed candidate who was selected (not elected, literally ZERO votes in the primary, no discussion
at the Convention, etc) - could establish a foundation, and convince other "compassionate" entrepreneurs, entertainers, activists who are Ds to contribute to said Foundation, and have Pelosi invest those funds proficiently with these remarkable returns. Benefits can then be distributed to the needy people. It would be a situation in which the Ds can match their rhetoric with action.

No, that would be naive

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nancy-pelosi-beat-market-581-162100416.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Yes.



So we should never tax the rich?



Both parties are garbage and work for the same benefactors, let's face it.

It's a game. It's a dance. It's to trick us all into thinking "our party" is the good one.

While they both screw over the working class, each pretending to be shocked at the draconian harshness (or the stupidity) of the other.

No where was it said in that post that the rich shouldn't be taxed. The NYC plans are for ADDITIONAL TAXES, and I specifically posted the words "raising taxes". Newsflash. Those folks already pay taxes, and they employ people who pay taxes. And the use of the word "never" is indicative of hyperbolic fallacy "thinking" and is therefore invalid. Please work on your reading comprehension.

And there is is this social science called economics. It has been around for awhile.
One of its applied principles is that in pursuing a profit motive, a business owner will make business decisions that maximize its profits.
If that business concludes that they will pay less taxes somewhere else, and make larger profits, they will move the business, other things being equal
So how exactly will these programs be funded, if the tax base decreases? The answer should be obvious.

An update

Government shutdown updates: Trump signs government funding bill

President Donald Trump late Wedneday night signed a bill that will fund the government through Jan. 30 after the House passed it earlier Wednesday.

abcnews.go.com