The Steady Drip: Federal Judge Challenges SNAP Suspension Proposal (Connecting the Dots: U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, The University of California, Berkeley, The U.S. Department of Agriculture, The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) The U.S. Department of Justice & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Federal Judge Challenges SNAP Suspension Proposal (Connecting the Dots: U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, The University of California, Berkeley, The U.S. Department of Agriculture, The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) The U.S. Department of Justice & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Newsmax.com

Thursday, 30 October 2025 02:29 PM EDT

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/snap-federal-judge-shutdown/2025/10/30/id/1232554/

A federal judge in Boston on Thursday challenged the Trump administration's argument that SNAP benefits could be suspended for the first time in the food aid program's history because of the government shutdown.

During a hearing over a request by 25 Democratic-led states to keep the funding flowing, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani told lawyers that if the government can't afford to cover the program, there's a process to follow rather than simply suspending all benefits.

"The steps involve finding an equitable way of reducing benefits," said Talwani, who was nominated to the court by former President Barack Obama.

Talwani said she expects to issue a ruling later Thursday and seemed to be leaning toward requiring the government to put billions of dollars in emergency funds toward SNAP. That, she said, is her interpretation of what Congress intended when an agency's funding runs out.

"If you don't have money, you tighten your belt," she said in court. "You are not going to make everyone drop dead because it's a political game someplace."

Talwani acknowledged that even ordering emergency funds to pay for SNAP might still be painful for some SNAP recipients because it could mean they get less money and that the money they do get could be delayed.

"We are dealing with a reality that absent a 100% win for you, the benefits aren't going to be there on Nov. 1," she told the plaintiffs.

The hearing came two days before the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program because it said it can't continue funding it due to the shutdown.

The program, which costs about $8 billion per month, serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation's social safety net.

Word in October that it would be a Nov. 1 casualty of the shutdown sent states, food banks and SNAP recipients scrambling to figure out how to secure food. Some states said they would spend their own funds to keep versions of the program going.

Judge Indira Talwani

Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Talwani

Biography

Daughter of Manik Talwani, a geophysicist, from Punjab, India, Talwani received a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in 1982, from Radcliffe College. She received a Juris Doctor in 1988 from UC Berkeley School of Law, graduating Order of the Coif.[2][3] She began her legal career as a law clerk to Judge Stanley Alexander Weigel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, from 1988 to 1989. She served as an associate at the San Francisco, California, law firm of Altshuler Berzon LLP, from 1989 to 1995 and as a partner at that law firm, from 1996 to 1999. From 1999 to 2014, she served as a partner at the Boston, Massachusetts, law firm of Segal Roitman LLP, where she focused her practice on civil litigation at the state and federal trial court and appellate levels.

Connecting the Dots:

Charles E. Schumer is a U.S. Senate senator and married to Iris Weinshall.

Iris Weinshall is married to Charles E. Schumer, the vice chancellor for the City University of New York, a friend of Merryl H. Tisch and was the transportation commissioner for New York (NY).

Matthew Goldstein is the chancellor for the City University of New York and a director at the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy.

Rhonda Weingarten (Randi) is a director at the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy and the president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is the founder & chairman of the Open Society Foundations.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the American Constitution Society.

Barbra Streisand Foundation was a funder for the American Constitution Society.

Walter E. Dellinger III is a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society and was the acting solicitor general for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Christine A. Varney is a director at the American Constitution Society and was an assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Robert Raben was a director at the American Constitution Society and an assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Philippa Scarlett was a director at the American Constitution Society and a deputy associate attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Janet Reno was a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society and an attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Debo P. Adegbile is a director at the American Constitution Society, was and an assistant attorney general nominee for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Christopher Edley Jr. was a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society, an associate director for economics & government for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), married to Maria Echaveste and the Dean of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Judge Indira Talwani received a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law and is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Judge Charles Roberts Breyer received his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley and a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Judge Edward Milton Chen earned a bachelor's degree in 1975 from the University of California, Berkeley and a Juris Doctor from UC Berkeley School of Law in 1979, is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a senior United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Lisa Cook earned a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, is a member of the Federal Reserve Board and a board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

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Ramona E. Romero was a director at the American Constitution Society and is the general counsel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Mario M. Cuomo was a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society and the New York state government governor, lieutenant governor, & secretary of state.

Cliff Sloan was a director at the American Constitution Society, the Guantanamo Bay envoy for the U.S. Department of State and a publisher for Slate.

Eliot Spitzer is a columnist for Slate and an adjunct professor for the City University of New York.

Iris Weinshall is the vice chancellor for the City University of New York, a friend of Merryl H. Tisch, married to Charles E. Schumer and was the transportation commissioner for New York (NY).

Merryl H. Tisch is a friend of Iris Weinshall, a trustee at the Sesame Workshop, a director at the International Rescue Committee and a friend of Michael R. Bloomberg.

Sesame Street is a Sesame Workshop program.

Vincent A. Mai is the chairman of the Sesame Workshop and an overseer at the International Rescue Committee.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Andrew S. Grove was an overseer at the International Rescue Committee and a benefactor for the University of California, Berkeley.

Cindy Hensley McCain was an advocate for the ONE Campaign and is an executive director for the World Food Program USA.

Jim Edgar was a director at the World Food Program USA and is a director at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Michelle Obama is a director at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and was an advocate for the ONE Campaign.

World Food Programme (WFP) is an international organization within the United Nations (U.N.).

R. Hunter Biden is a director at the World Food Program USA, Joseph R. Biden Jr’s son, is a director at the Truman National Security Project and a director at the Truman Center for National Policy.

Kamala D. Harris is an advisory board member for the Truman National Security Project an advisory board member for the Truman Center for National Policy and was the vice president of the Joseph R. Biden Jr administration.

Madeleine K. Albright was an advisory board member for the Truman National Security Project, the president of the Truman Center for National Policy and an overseer at the International Rescue Committee.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

ONE Campaign is a partner with the International Rescue Committee.

Michelle Obama was an advocate for the ONE Campaign.

Michael R. Bloomberg is an advocate for the ONE Campaign, a friend of Merryl H. Tisch and the founder of the Bloomberg Family Foundation.

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Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Daniel R. Glickman is a director of the Congressional Program for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and was the agriculture secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the William J. Clinton administration.

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Thomas A. Scully was an associate director for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and an administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

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Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was founded at the University of California, Berkeley.

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George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Ramona E. Romero was a director at the American Constitution Society and is the general counsel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Mario M. Cuomo was a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society and the New York state government governor, lieutenant governor, & secretary of state.

Cliff Sloan was a director at the American Constitution Society, the Guantanamo Bay envoy for the U.S. Department of State and a publisher for Slate.

Eliot Spitzer is a columnist for Slate and an adjunct professor for the City University of New York.

Merryl H. Tisch is a friend of Iris Weinshall, a trustee at the Sesame Workshop, a director at the International Rescue Committee and a friend of Michael R. Bloomberg.

Sesame Street is a Sesame Workshop program.

Vincent A. Mai is the chairman of the Sesame Workshop and an overseer at the International Rescue Committee.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Andrew S. Grove was an overseer at the International Rescue Committee and a benefactor for the University of California, Berkeley.

ONE Campaign is a partner with the International Rescue Committee.

Michelle Obama was an advocate for the ONE Campaign.

Michael R. Bloomberg is an advocate for the ONE Campaign, a friend of Merryl H. Tisch, the founder of the Bloomberg Family Foundation and Josh Isay was his political consultant.

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Eliot Spitzer is an adjunct professor for the City University of New York and a columnist for Slate.

Cliff Sloan was a publisher for Slate, the Guantanamo Bay envoy for the U.S. Department of State and a director at the American Constitution Society.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the American Constitution Society.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Ramona E. Romero was a director at the American Constitution Society and is the general counsel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Mario M. Cuomo was a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society and the New York state government governor, lieutenant governor, & secretary of state.

Maria Echaveste was a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society, received a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall), the U.S. ambassador nominee for Mexico and married to Christopher Edley Jr.