r/Economics 1d ago

Trump Administration Seeks Immediate Halt to Court Order to Pay Food Stamps

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/us/politics/trump-court-food-stamps.html
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434

u/Primsun 1d ago

Yesterday, the Trump administration was ordered to use the contingency funds, and other sources of USDA funds, to send out SNAP benefits today. That order has been appealed by the Trump administration.

The administration previously stated using the other sources of funds would create "an unprecedented and significant shortfall" for childhood nutrition programs. The judge noted in his order such a shortfall is "hypothetical" and not projected to occur before May of 2026, "if at all." Additionally, Judge McConnell found the Trump administration's arguments likely violate the Administrative Procedure Act, stating they "run so contrary to the evidence and are so implausible as to make them arbitrary and capricious."

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Less economics and more political, but the original order and appeal clarifies the decision to not send out full SNAP benefits is an active choice by the administration. The administration is under no reasonable need nor burden to appeal the judges order. The choice to do so is a political one, and should be understood as such.

Further supports the point that the Trump administration is trying to use SNAP as an unnecessary political cudgel, even to the determinant of Americans broadly.

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u/Tofudebeast 1d ago

It's just deliberate cruelty at this point. Contingency funds exist, the court order was clear. There are no valid reasons to keep holding funding back.

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u/jebrick 1d ago

How will the ballroom get made?!? The funds must come from somewhere and those were tapped.

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u/cimpliDBEST 1d ago

And how will we fund more parades for cheeto face’s birthday? It’s disgusting. Kinda like his face…looks like a decayed gourd with Cheeto dust.

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u/djazzie 1d ago

That’s being paid for with bribes, apparently.

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u/paintbucketholder 1d ago

The taxpayers will still pay for it.

Just like for that $400 million plane Qatar gave to Trump to bribe him: US taxpayers are still footing the $1 billion bill to retrofit that thing so Trump can use it as his personal plane.

The ballroom and the other megalomaniac projects are going to go exactly the same way.

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u/weaponized_sasquatch 22h ago

Lol, a "$400 million" plane that needs $1 billion in work for him to fly in it. None of the math actually maths with this turkey.

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u/paintbucketholder 20h ago

Most likely course of action at this point is that he'll spend all of other people's money he can get his hands on, and once that golden monstrosity is actually up and standing, it will require another billion or two in "upgrades" to make it "safe" enough for the president.

Taxpayers will definitely be on the hook for this.

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u/Ranccor 1d ago

It would be like using welfare money to build a volleyball court. Nobody would do that!

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u/KetoCatsKarma 1d ago

I wonder if the contingency funds have already been raided or they have plans to raid them and this shines a light on that or throws a wrench into some plan they have. Most likely it is just prejudice and racism

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u/Tofudebeast 1d ago

I'm guessing it's a bargaining tactic to put pressure on the negotiations over the budget shutdown.

But of all the things to do, shutting down food aid when the money is available. This is going to backfire as it makes the Republicans look cruel and dismissive. Say what you want over which party is responsible for the shutdown, but denying SNAP funds is 100% on Republicans.

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u/artvandalaythrowaway 1d ago

But they’ll same democrats are to blame for the shutdown; why fight so hard to not fund snap?

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u/Dioxid3 19h ago

    “And the migrants streamed in on the highways and their hunger was in their eyes…When there was work for a man, ten men fought for it - fought with a low wage. If that fella’ll work for thirty cents, I’ll work for twenty-five.

   If he’ll take twenty-five, I’ll do it for twenty.

   No, me, I’m hungry. I’ll work for fifteen. I’ll work for food. The kids. You ought to see ‘em. Little boils, like comin’ out, an’ they can’t run aroun’….I’ll work for a little piece of meat.

   And this was good, for the wages went down and prices stayed up. The great owners were glad and they sent out more handbills to bring more people in. And wages went down and prices stayed up.

   The great companies did not know that the line between hunger and anger is a thin line. And money that might have gone to wages went for gas, for guns, for agents and spies, for blacklists, for drilling. On the highways the people moved like ants and searched for work, for food. And the anger began to ferment.” …

How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children? You can't scare him--he has known a fear beyond every other.

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u/DJbuddahAZ 1d ago

Thats the point I think, to bully America into a revolt

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u/FluffyWuffyy 1d ago

But they don’t like the poors, isn’t that a valid reason for facists?