DeLauro Statement on Trump Administration Notice of Intent to Pay Full Food Stamp Benefits After Multiple Court Orders and Unnecessary Delay

WASHINGTON — Today, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) posted an official notice to states saying that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits would be paid in full, following a lengthy, unnecessary, and cruel delay by the Trump administration which culminated in a pair of federal courts forcing them to fund the program, against their strong objections.

“I am cautiously optimistic that now, after a lengthy and unnecessary delay, food assistance benefits will soon be distributed in full.

“The Trump administration has given official notice of their intent to fully fund SNAP benefits, after being repeatedly ordered to do so by federal judges in two states. However, they have chosen to appeal the most recent court order, and leave millions uncertain about when or where their next meal will come from.

“We must remain vigilant to ensure this assistance actually reaches the families it is intended for immediately. This uncertainty and delay is entirely unnecessary. If the Trump administration wanted to fully fund food stamps, they could do so with no ambiguity. 

“If food assistance is distributed in full, it will be despite President Trump’s efforts, not because of them. This should never have happened in the first place.”

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