Trump Treasury Sec Admits They’re Desperate Not to Fund Food Stamps
Funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program isn’t rocket science. But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is sure trying to make it seem like it is.
During CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, host Jake Tapper asked Bessent about rulings from two federal judges who ordered the Trump administration to obey the law and use emergency funds to pay SNAP benefits during the government shutdown.
“When can we expect the Trump administration to make these payments?” asked Tapper.
“Well, President Trump just ‘Truthed out’ that he needs to hear from the courts how this is gonna be done, and Jake, as you know, the best way for snap benefits to get paid is for five democrats to cross the aisle and reopen the government,” Bessent said.
Tapper noted that the administration could simply dip into the contingency funds as outlined in USDA’s Lapse of Funding Plan—which was removed from the agency’s website in September. The Trump administration has since cited a USDA memo published in August that inexplicably claimed that SNAP contingency funds could not legally be used to cover regular benefits.
Bessent claimed that Trump was “very anxious” to resume SNAP benefits, but insisted “it’s gotta go through the courts.”
“The courts keep jamming up things. Democrats are in the middle of a civil war. And they should just open the government, that is the easiest way to do this,” Bessent said.
“Is the administration going to appeal the ruling by the judge, is that what you mean by the courts need to weigh in? Because the courts have weighed in,” Tapper asked.
“No, but there’s a process that has to be followed. So, we gotta figure out what the process is. President Trump wants to make sure that people get their food benefits,” Bessent replied, again urging Democrats to reopen the government.
On Friday, Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that the two courts had issued “conflicting” rulings and that his administration was seeking “appropriate legal direction.”
“Even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while States get the money out,” Trump wrote. “If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay.”
U.S. District Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order requiring the Trump administration to dip into the USDA’s contingency funds. He added that the administration must deliver a plan for how it planned to pay for SNAP benefits by Monday at noon. Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston did not issue a temporary restraining order, and gave the Trump administration until Monday to decide how to pay at least partial SNAP benefits.
While the two rulings were slightly different in their approaches, they both suggested the Trump administration dip into emergency funds. And each day the government delays in distributing funds prolongs the absence of essential food aid.
In a filing Friday, the Trump administration said it was “expeditiously attempting to comply” with McConnell’s order. “Clarity as to the Court’s ruling is critical to ensure that Defendants can comply with the Court’s order while avoiding an operational collapse,” DOJ lawyers wrote.
