Trump Pledges to Maintain SNAP Funding Despite Government Shutdown

President Donald Trump said he's willing to keep funding America's main food assistance program for the poor, just hours before it was set to be suspended due to the ongoing government shutdown that's now lasted a month with no end in sight.

After more than four weeks of government closure, hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been temporarily cut off from work. Air traffic has been disrupted, national parks have stopped operating, and now the effects are expected to reach 42 million Americans who rely on the SNAP program. The federal government was supposed to stop funding it Friday night into Saturday.

A federal judge issued an order Friday, following a lawsuit from civil rights groups, directing the government to use emergency financial allocations to fund SNAP. Trump confirmed he's open to this solution.

"I don't want Americans to go hungry," the president wrote on his Truth Social platform. "If we get the proper legal guidance from the court, it would be my honor to secure funding for the SNAP program."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, had earlier said: "There are real people, real families, there are children who will suffer hunger starting at the end of this week." He accused the Democratic opposition of "continuing their political games in Washington."

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said SNAP funding would run out after a month of government shutdown. With food assistance potentially stopping, some Americans have started organizing solidarity chains.

Kerry Chusmer, who lives in the Washington suburbs and plans to help two families pay for their groceries if government assistance stops, told AFP: "I'm simply stunned by the way our country treats families and children."

New health insurance costs are expected to be announced for more than 24 million Americans covered by the federal "Obamacare" program. With government support for this program ending at year's end, costs are likely to rise significantly, according to the KFF research center.

Support for Obamacare has become the center of the Congressional battle between Republicans and Democrats, who haven't reached agreement on a new budget. Trump's party proposes extending the current budget, while Democrats seek to extend support for health insurance programs for low-income families.

Even though Republicans hold a Senate majority, ending the government shutdown and passing the budget requires getting some votes from Democrats.

Most polls so far show Americans blame the president's party primarily for reaching the government shutdown.

Despite military salaries being paid in October based on Trump's decision, it's unclear if this measure can be applied in November. More than 1.3 million Americans in the armed forces might join the 1.4 million federal employees whose salaries have been frozen for a month.