Meals stamp funding: What’s taking place with SNAP?

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Welcome to The Logoff: After days of uncertainty, the Trump administration will preserve meals help flowing — however just for a part of the month.

What’s taking place? Funding for the Supplemental Vitamin Help Program, or SNAP, is more likely to resume within the close to future, after the Trump administration mentioned Monday it might adjust to a federal decide’s order to spend about $5.5 billion in contingency funds (basically, money this system can draw on to maintain working in emergencies).

SNAP funding lapsed over the weekend because of the continuing authorities shutdown, interrupting important meals help for practically 42 million People, a lot of whom are youngsters. Whereas funding ought to begin flowing once more quickly, the interruption will damage SNAP recipients who should cope with not solely misplaced advantages but in addition uncertainty about precisely when they'll resume.

What’s the context? This interruption in SNAP funding didn’t have to occur. Till early October, the Division of Agriculture (USDA) had a plan on its web site outlining the usage of contingency funding to maintain SNAP advantages flowing. It was subsequently removed from the USDA site and changed with a message saying, “The effectively has run dry,” and blaming congressional Democrats.

What’s subsequent for SNAP? The contingency funds the administration is drawing on will solely cowl about half of November earlier than advantages as soon as once more lapse. If the federal government stays shut by then, advantages are more likely to dry up altogether.

That's partially as a result of Trump administration’s refusal to discover options to maintain SNAP funding flowing previous the center of the month. Final week, a distinct federal decide in Boston pointed to tariff income as an possibility, however the administration has mentioned they don’t intend to attract on it.

What’s the large image? Because the shutdown drags on, the Trump administration has gone to extraordinary measures to maintain funding a few of its priorities, comparable to immigration enforcement and military paychecks . Others, like meals help, it must be compelled to fund — after which, solely begrudgingly.

And with that, it’s time to log out…

Hello readers, earlier than you go: I assumed this NPR story about how communities are coming collectively to assist neighbors who want it as SNAP advantages run dry was touching — even when the encircling context is grim.

If you would like one thing just a little extra faraway from the information cycle (who can blame you?), this Futurism story about getting the traditional online game Doom to run on a European Area Company satellite tv for pc could be for you. It’s a delight.