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The United States is facing an escalating legal, political, and humanitarian crisis surrounding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as "food stamps" or Food Stamps, which currently assists one in eight Americans.
The uncertainty about the future of this essential program has intensified due to the partial shutdown of the federal government and a tangle of contradictory judicial decisions, leaving millions of families unsure if they will be able to put food on the table this month.
The Supreme Court is preparing to issue a crucial ruling that could determine whether states can resume full SNAP payments or, conversely, whether the suspension initiated by the administration of President Donald Trump will remain in place.
According to that administration, “the money may be needed elsewhere,” which is why a complete block on payments has been requested while the deadlock in Congress is resolved.
The judicial fracture and its immediate effects
The legal chaos has resulted in a landscape of inequality.
While states like Hawaii and New Jersey have managed to distribute full benefits, others like Nebraska and West Virginia have not delivered a single dollar to their beneficiaries.
In intermediate states like Texas and North Carolina, partial payments have been made.
This uneven mosaic has created distressing situations.
In Franklin, Pennsylvania, 41-year-old Jim Malliard is facing a critical situation, according to the AP agency.
Malliard takes care of his blind wife, who has suffered multiple strokes, and his teenage daughter with medical complications. He used to receive 350 dollars a month in SNAP benefits; now he hasn't received anything.
The Trump administration had agreed to comply with two court rulings from October 31 that required at least partial funding, allowing payments of up to 65%.
However, last week another judge ordered the program to be fully funded, even if that meant resorting to reserved emergency funds.
This last decision was temporarily suspended by the Supreme Court.
A legal dead end without a clear exit
The latest setback for the government came on Monday when an Appeals Court upheld the order to resume full funding.
Judge Julie Rikelman, while confirming the ruling of Judge John McConnell, was emphatic: "Without this program, tens of millions would go hungry - the first link in a chain of health and financial harms - especially on the brink of winter."
The judges harshly criticized the federal government's inaction.
"She sat with her arms crossed for almost a month," Rikelman warned. His colleague on the panel, Gustavo Gelpí, agreed, noting the seriousness of the damage caused by the delay.
In parallel, the government has attempted to once again halt the full disbursement of benefits, announcing that it would submit a supplementary document to the Supreme Court before 4:00 PM on Monday.
"The response to this crisis is not for federal courts to reallocate resources without legal authority," argued Attorney General D. John Sauer.
"The only way to end this crisis [...] is for Congress to reopen the government," he added.
Reopening on the way?
The Senate has approved a plan to reopen the government, which includes the full restoration of SNAP program funds through the end of the fiscal year.
The Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, urged his colleagues to return to Washington to vote on the bipartisan agreement negotiated between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.
Trump, for his part, has not confirmed whether he will sign the law if it reaches his desk, although he stated that "it seems we are close to the end of the shutdown."
But even if the law is approved, it is unclear how long it will take to restore the full flow of benefits. In the meantime, millions will remain in suspense.
Citizen support networks in the face of emergency
In the face of governmental paralysis, some citizens are taking the initiative. In Carthage, New York, teacher Ashley Oxenford decided to create a small community pantry in her front yard.
"I believe I have spent money on more frivolous things than trying to feed other people during a manufactured famine," he explained.
The gesture of Oxenford symbolizes a growing national frustration.
The SNAP, a program that has been around for more than half a century, has never faced a situation like this before.
Its joint management between the federal government and the states, combined with the confusing guidelines from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), has resulted in an unprecedented situation.
Many states began to make full payments after receiving instructions that were later revoked, and now they are unsure how to proceed. In some cases, they have been asked to reverse already scheduled payments, which is logistically and legally complex.
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