Colorado: Governor Polis Calls on Trump Administration to Stop Delaying Food Assistance for Millions of Hungry Americans Following Supreme Court Action

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DENVER — Tonight, following an appeal by the Trump administration to block the delivery of full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the month of November, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Trump administration the ability to pause SNAP payments to states, creating more uncertainty for hardworking families and individuals. Earlier today, a federal district court ruled that the Trump administration is obligated to fully fund SNAP to states, and as a result Colorado began processing full payments to program recipients. Prior to the Supreme Court order, approximately 32,000 Colorado SNAP beneficiaries received full benefits. Hours after, the Trump administration continued efforts to take food assistance away from Americans by appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court, which blocked the lower court's order requiring full payment, leaving millions of Americans, and over 560,000 Coloradans, who have yet to receive payments, in limbo.

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Since the Supreme Court's order, Colorado has not received any new guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Colorado is committed to providing SNAP payments as rapidly as possible, while adhering to the latest legal decisions and USDA guidance. The State is evaluating how best to proceed based on the status of current litigation and will have a further update as soon as possible. The fastest route for Coloradans to receive access to food benefits would be for the Trump administration to drop all appeals of the issuance of SNAP payments for the month of November.

"I am baffled to see the Trump administration continue to block SNAP food access for millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Coloradans, including children and seniors. Costs keep going up for everyone, and we hope either the American justice system works quickly to allow us to get funds out to hungry Coloradans as soon as possible, or the Trump administration drops its appeal. This episode of The Twilight Zone needs to end, and Americans deserve access to food. The administration should drop its appeal, which is creating chaos among states," said Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

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Governor Polis requested, and the legislature's Joint Budget Committee approved $10 million in a bipartisan vote to support Colorado food banks and pantries that will be facing increased demand from hungry families as the federal government holds food access funding back.

The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) administers SNAP, which provides grocery benefits to approximately 600,000 Coloradans across 330,000 households — half of whom are children, with 10% elderly and 15% living with disabilities. The program distributes approximately $120 million in food security funding each month, supporting families, local grocers, farmers, and nearly 10,000 grocery workers statewide.

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