SNAP benefits to be partially funded after federal rulings in Rhode Island and Massachusetts

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — After recent federal court rulings in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, the Trump administration said SNAP benefits will be partially funded.

As Monday marked day 34 of the government shutdown, local leaders lauded those rulings at Providence City Hall, with both sides of the political spectrum continuing to point fingers over who’s to blame for the government shutdown.

“It’s the Republicans in the driving seat, in the Presidency, in the Senate and in the House,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said. “So I do not find it credible to say the democrats own a piece of this.”

Smiley and other local officials commended the recent rulings against the Trump administration’s withholding of emergency food assistance funding.

“Food shouldn’t be political,” Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera said. “This is about people. It’s a basic human right.”

President Trump had remained adamant that he “won’t be extorted” by the Democrats over the food crisis.

But as Monday’s deadline approached, his administration conceded it would at least partially fund the program based on the judges’ rulings.

In an interview with ABC6 Monday, Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Joe Powers said he thinks Democrats could easily end the shutdown with a handful of votes.

“Elected officials who like to throw out that the Republicans have the White House, that they have the House and they have the Senate, and it’s solely on their shoulders, they’re not only mistaken, they’re flat out lying to everyone,” Powers said.

Prior to speaking with Powers, ABC6 spoke with Smiley on whether he thinks his party should bear some of the blame.

“Both parties should absolutely be talking and working on a resolution,” Smiley said. “But the other thing that has happened, which has been the sticking point on behalf of the Democrats in congress, has been the affordable care act subsidies.”

“Yeah, it sounds really bad when somebody says out loud, you’re kicking people off of health care,” Powers said. “Well, what we’re doing is we’re introducing new people to the workforce.”

Regarding SNAP, it’s not yet clear how much beneficiaries will receive, or when they will receive it.

The process of loading SNAP cards can take up to two weeks in some states.