PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — On Thursday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fully fund November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by Friday, reversing an earlier plan by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to cover only about 65 percent of payments while the government remains shut down.
Vice-President JD Vance criticized the ruling Thursday evening, and pointed to Democrats as the reason for the government shutdown and uncertain SNAP funding.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on latest SNAP ruling:
“It's an absurd ruling because you have a federal judge effectively telling us what we have to do in the midst of a Democrat government shutdown,” said VP Vance. “What we'd like to do is for the Democrats to open up the government, of course, then we can fund SNAP, and we can also do a lot of other good things for the American people.”
The impact of that uncertainty is being felt locally. At the St. Vincent de Paul Charlotte Care Center in Port Charlotte, demand for food assistance is surging as pantry supplies shrink.
“We’ve definitely seen a huge influx of people coming for pantry days, just a lot more need in the community,” said Director Jenna Alvarez. “Our pantry boxes are supposed to supplement meals, but we’re seeing people tell us this is their meals. They don’t have other options.”
Alvarez says the center typically receives about 2,000 pounds of food each week from sources like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, but those deliveries have recently fallen to about 1,000 pounds, even as demand grows. She added that 6,292 individuals used the pantry in October alone.
The judge's ruling set the timeline to restore the SNAP funding for the approximately 42 million Americans who rely on the benefits, though its unclear when those funds will be delivered to them
“Right now, people are worried,” she said. “They’re just trying to make sure they know where their next meal is coming from,” Alvarez said.
Despite the challenge to keep up with demand, Brittany Christ, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Cares Foundation, which oversees the Charlotte Care Center, said they will do everything they can to keep putting meals on tables, and community support helps make that happen.
“We’re always going to be, to the best of our ability, stocked and ready to go for both pantry services and hot meals,” said Christ. “We can’t do what we do without the community.”
Click here to get more information about the Charlotte Care Center, and click here for a full list of food pantry locations in Charlotte County.
