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Two federal judges on Friday ruled the Trump administration must continue funding SNAP during the government shutdown. But Arizonans who had been expecting SNAP benefits to come through on Saturday will still likely see at least some delay.
Arizona is among the states that sued to restore federal funding to the food-stamp program.
SNAP was set to run out of money on Nov. 1, and since this ruling occurred less than a day out, it’s not clear when benefits could be disbursed.
Nearly 900,000 Arizonans rely on SNAP benefits.
In a statement, the Arizona Department of Economic Security said, “DES recognizes the urgency associated with issuing SNAP benefits to eligible households and individuals in Arizona. Right now, although orders in courts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island indicate that contingency funds are available for SNAP benefits, USDA has not lifted the suspension. As a result, participants approved for SNAP are still unable to receive November benefits until federal funding is released to states. We are monitoring the court actions and awaiting information from USDA. Our team is standing by to take immediate action when funding is made available to issue SNAP benefits.”
In a written statement, the Arizona Attorney General's Office said USDA’s $5 billion emergency fund will not be able to cover the full SNAP costs for all 50 states in November.
The Massachusetts federal judge ruling on the case gave the agency until Monday to determine if only contingency funds will be used, or if it will plan on fully covering the program.
A federal judge in Rhode Island also issued a similar ruling in a different lawsuit.
The Arizona Secretary of State's Office on Friday announce a website with food assistance for Arizonans: https://azsos.gov/az-snap-support
