A federal judge in Rhode Island on Friday praised President Donald Trump’s “quick and definitive response” to a ruling concerning Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, saying the president’s action was “greatly appreciated.”
In a footnote, the court specifically noted Trump’s role, commending his efforts to ensure the timely distribution of the program’s funding.
“The court greatly appreciates the president’s quick and definitive response to this court’s order and his desire to provide the necessary SNAP funding,” U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell Jr. wrote in a court order on Saturday.
Roughly 42 million Americans—about one in eight—depend on food stamps each month, using electronic benefit cards to buy groceries. Advocates warned that any delay or reduction in payments could have severe consequences for families who rely on the program to meet basic needs.
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McConnell, an Obama appointee, ordered the USDA to guarantee that full SNAP benefits for November are delivered to recipients by the end of Monday, November 3, or that partial payments be issued no later than Wednesday, November 5.
“There is no question that the congressionally approved contingency funds must be used now because of the shutdown,” the judge claimed, though Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the law is clear – contintency funds can only be used when the program is fully funded and only in natural disasters.
“In fact, the president during his first term issued guidance indicating that these contingency funds are available if SNAP funds lapse due to a government shutdown,” McConnell added.
Funding ran out Nov. 1 thanks to the Democrat-led government shutdown. It’s not clear whether the administration will appeal or seek clarification from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, in Boston, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, ruled that the USDA must continue issuing SNAP payments, calling the suspension of the program “unlawful.”
Pollster Matt Towery, meanwhile, said Friday on Fox News that Democrats’ attempt to spark outrage over interruptions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is beginning to backfire.
As the government shutdown continues, Democrats are still blocking a temporary funding measure — a move that’s now threatening food aid for more than 40 million Americans.
Appearing on “The Ingraham Angle,” Towery argued that Democrats badly misjudged public reaction by trying to weaponize the program’s funding lapse for political gain.
“I think the public is just now beginning to hear the information about how many people who are receiving food stamps, who simply are not from this country and came into the country illegally. And I think as more of this information comes out, you’ll see more resentment for that aspect,” Towery told host Laura Ingraham.
“Now there’s always been a sympathy among voters for the social safety net. And I just want to add one thing about what the Democrats were doing.”
Towery said Democrats’ plan to use the food stamp disruption to fuel public anger may have the opposite effect of what was intended.
“I don’t know that these decisions by these judges are helping them because the Democrats really wanted people to not get this assistance and be up in arms and very upset, and cause more turmoil over the next week,” Towery added.
“And these judges have stepped in and said, ‘Oh well, we think we’re going to feed you. How we’re going to do it. I don’t quite know.’ I do think that we’re seeing a change in public opinion towards all of these benefits,” he added.
Towery noted that a subtle political realignment is taking place. He added that younger Americans entering the workforce are beginning to rethink their views on government assistance programs.
“There’s a slow shift. You won’t see it from the legacy pollsters, and you won’t hear from the legacy media. But the country is beginning to shift. And I think it starts with the youngest of voters, the ones who are having to get out there and make money and find jobs,” Towery said.
President Nick Daniels of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association warned Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Party that the ongoing government shutdown is posing serious safety risks in U.S. airspace.
The NATCA, which represents more than 10,800 certified air traffic controllers nationwide, has repeatedly called on Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR) to end the shutdown — now on track to become the longest in American history.
The House approved a clean CR a month ago, but Democrats have blocked it more than a dozen times, insisting on tying the measure to their partisan legislative demands.
Daniels emphasized that air traffic controllers are unfairly shouldering the weight of the shutdown, with thousands now working exhausting six-day, 10-hour shifts amid an existing shortage of 3,800 personnel.
As essential workers, controllers are required to remain on the job, yet many are facing severe financial strain. They received partial paychecks for pre-shutdown work on October 14, followed by $0 paychecks on October 28 and in the pay periods since — leaving many with more than 120 hours of unpaid labor.
The shutdown has also furloughed 2,350 support staff — including engineers and technicians — while freezing new controller hiring and training and pausing critical maintenance and modernization projects, leaving the air traffic system increasingly vulnerable.
In an interview with Fox News, Daniels said hundreds of controllers have been forced to take second jobs just to make ends meet amid the prolonged shutdown.
“These American patriots, they are the unsung heroes that Secretary Duffy speaks about so often. They are the ones that have been thrust into the spotlight, into center focus of a shutdown. And air traffic controllers, we don’t start shutdowns, we’re not responsible for ending shutdowns. Who does? Congress,” he said.
“And that’s why we’re saying, end the shutdown immediately. It’s not like we’re sitting here talking about an aviation issue. We’re talking, I understand the fears, the frustrations of the American people. We want to do an amazing job on their behalf, and we are. We’re showing up to work every day, the best way that we can to get through this crisis. But this isn’t something that we asked for. We didn’t want to put ourselves in the middle of it,” he added.
“Yet here we are, the rope in the tug of war game that we didn’t ask for at all. And we should not be used as political pawns in any way, shape or form for these shutdowns,” Daniels noted further.
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Air traffic controllers have become a focal point in the government shutdown standoff, as flight delays and cancellations ripple across more than 20 U.S. airports.
Over the October 31–November 2 weekend — the worst stretch since the shutdown began — the FAA logged 98 “staffing triggers,” forcing ground stops, reduced arrival rates, and flight reroutes. Half of the nation’s 30 busiest airports reported staffing shortages, with absences in the New York area soaring to 80 percent.
NATCA and aviation experts have issued grave warnings, saying the shutdown is “eroding critical layers of safety” and rendering the National Airspace System “less safe with each passing day.”
Schumer has openly admitted that Senate Democrats are dragging out the government shutdown for political gain. In an October 9 interview with Punchbowl News, he bragged, “Every day gets better for us,” citing polling that blames Republicans for the stalemate.
He went even further, effectively insulting the intelligence of his own voters by insisting the shutdown is the GOP’s fault because Republicans “control everything.” In reality, that’s flatly untrue — Senate Republicans can’t pass a clean continuing resolution without 60 votes.