Trump Indicates He Will Fund SNAP After Court Orders

President Trump said Friday that he would move to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if provided with “the appropriate legal direction,” following a federal judge’s order directing officials to use an emergency fund to keep the program running.

SNAP benefits are set to expire Saturday as the government shutdown continues. Until now, Trump administration officials have maintained that they would not use the program’s emergency fund without explicit legal authorization, The Hill reported.

“Our Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay SNAP with certain monies we have available, and now two Courts have issued conflicting opinions on what we can and cannot do,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,” he continued. “Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.”

President Trump said that even if he were to access emergency funds, SNAP benefits would still face delays in November. He urged Americans to pressure Democrats to end the shutdown, noting that his administration had already found creative funding solutions to ensure members of the military continued to receive their paychecks.

Earlier Friday, U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued an order blocking the Trump administration from halting SNAP payments over the weekend due to the shutdown.

McConnell dismissed the administration’s argument that the emergency fund was reserved for natural disasters or similar crises, ruling instead that it could be used despite statutory language specifying it may only be accessed when the SNAP program is already fully funded.

The judge directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to release the emergency funds “timely or as soon as possible” and to submit a status update to the court by Monday.

McConnell’s ruling came just minutes after U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued her own written order, indicating she may also move to block the administration from suspending SNAP benefits. Talwani gave the government until Monday to outline how it plans to utilize the program’s contingency funds.

The emergency fund, totaling about $5.25 billion, falls short of the $9 billion needed to fully cover November’s SNAP payments. The administration could bridge the gap using a separate account known as Section 32 funds, derived from customs receipts, though both judges acknowledged that the decision ultimately rests with the administration’s discretion.

Lawmakers from both parties have voiced concern about the potential lapse in SNAP benefits, which provide food assistance to millions of Americans each month. The program is one of several facing mounting strain as the government shutdown extends into its second month.

A majority of the 47 Senate Democrats have voted against a clean budget resolution to reopen the government 14 times. Sixty votes are needed to pass the bill in the upper chamber; so far, only a couple of Democrats have joined the 53 Republicans in voting for the House-passed funding bill.

Earlier in the week, the USDA, which manages the SNAP program, said that tens of millions of Americans will lose their food stamp benefits next month if Senate Democrats continue to refuse to agree on a funding agreement for the government.

“At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 1st. Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry,” said the department’s website.

“We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats,” the notice said. “They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”

Trump Warns New York Mayor-Elect Mamdani: ‘We’ll Have To Arrest Him’

President Donald Trump on Wednesday addressed sharp criticism from Zohran Mamdani, who defeated disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s mayoral race. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, ordered the president during his fiery victory speech to “turn the volume up.”

“I think it’s a very dangerous statement for him to make,” Trump told Fox News host Bret Baier. “He has to be a little bit respectful of Washington, because if he’s not, he doesn’t have a chance of succeeding. And I want to make him succeed.” He quickly clarified, “I want to make the city succeed, I don’t want to make him succeed.”

Trump has frequently attacked the progressive candidate throughout his campaign, which focused on affordable housing and expanding social safety nets. Mamdani faced racist attacks from critics before defeating Cuomo, whom Trump had endorsed.

In his victory speech Tuesday, Mamdani called Trump a “despot” who has “betrayed” the nation. He urged his supporters to use their votes and voices to “stop the next Trump” by “dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.”

“I thought it was a very angry speech,” Trump told Baier. “Certainly angry toward me, and I think he should be nice to me. I’m sort of the one that has to approve a lot of things coming to him, so he’s off to a bad start.”

Supporters countered that Mamdani, 34, is off to a great start as the first Muslim and South Asian mayor in city history, and its youngest in more than a century.

“Look, for thousands of years communism has not worked. Communism, or the concept of communism, has not worked. I tend to doubt it will work this time,” Trump said. He added that he was “torn” by Mamdani’s win due to his “love” for New York City, saying he “would like to see the new mayor do well.”

When asked if he’s thought about reaching out, Trump replied, “I would say he needs to reach out to us, really. I’m here. We’ll see what happens, but I would think it would be more appropriate for him to reach out to us.”

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In June, when asked about Mamdani’s vow to “stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors,” Trump said, “Well then, we’ll have to arrest him.”

“Look, we don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation,” Trump added.

Trump Admin Wildly Surpasses Biden Energy Record In Matter of Months

The White House marked the one-year anniversary of the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) on Saturday, February 14, 2026, touting a massive surge in U.S. energy production that has fundamentally reshaped the global market in just over twelve months.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who chairs the Council alongside Energy Secretary Chris Wright, presented data showing that U.S. output has not only eclipsed the previous administration’s peaks but has done so at a pace federal officials are calling "unprecedented."

Record-Breaking Production Levels

The administration's "Energy Dominance" agenda, codified by executive order exactly one year ago, has driven U.S. crude oil production to a record 13.6 million barrels per day in 2025. By comparison, it took the Biden administration nearly four years to move production from 11.3 million to 13.2 million barrels—a threshold the current administration cleared in its first few months.

Natural gas output has seen a similar vertical climb. In November 2025, production reached 110.1 billion cubic feet per day, the highest level since federal tracking began in 1973. This represents an 8% increase over the previous administration's average.

“Gasoline prices have fallen to some of the lowest levels in years, permitting has been streamlined, and American energy exports are surging,” Secretary Burgum told Fox News Digital. “These achievements mean real savings for families, farmers, and small businesses.”

Surging Global Influence and LNG Exports

The U.S. has significantly widened its lead as the world’s premier liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter. Average LNG exports rose to 15.1 billion cubic feet per day in 2025, a sharp jump from the 11.9 billion recorded in late 2024.

This surge is credited to the Council's aggressive focus on "unleashing" American resources through:

Regulatory Rollbacks: Modernizing financial risk evaluations to free up billions for offshore exploration.
Permitting Speed: The Department of the Interior has approved 63.7% more Federal and Indian drilling permits compared to the previous administration over the same period.
Infrastructure Investment: New agreements with a bipartisan group of governors to advance over $15 billion in power-generation projects.

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The Economic Impact: Addressing Affordability

A central pillar of the NEDC's mission is to use energy abundance as a tool against inflation. While recent Middle East tensions have caused temporary spikes in crude prices, the administration maintains that the expanded domestic grid and increased output are the only long-term solutions to lowering transportation and grocery costs.

Secretary Burgum reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to "conservation abundance," arguing that environmental stewardship and fossil fuel development are not mutually exclusive. As the U.S. enters the second year of this policy, the White House expects to export four billion more cubic feet of natural gas per day than in 2024—a 33% increase.