Polis: Full SNAP payments sent in Colorado before SCOTUS pause 'were allowed', not reversed

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the state has not reversed full SNAP payments sent to tens of thousands of Coloradans before a Supreme Court order halting full payments because they “were allowed at the time.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has ordered states that began rolling out full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to reverse course after the Supreme Court temporarily halted an order to release the funds.

Nearly 32,000 people in Colorado were among those around the country who had already received full payments, with 560,000 Coloradans still waiting after the Supreme Court pause.

The USDA told states that those who do not comply may lose out on federal cost-sharing of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to the directive sent out on Saturday to regional SNAP directors.

Here’s what Polis said on the full payments in a statement sent to FOX31:

“Nothing is preventing the Trump administration from fully funding SNAP benefits. They are simply choosing not to. Following court orders last week, the state worked diligently to provide full SNAP benefits. As a result, nearly 32,000 Coloradans received full support to put food on the table before the Administration asked the Supreme Court to halt all efforts to keep children and families fed. The state has not reversed those payments as they were allowed at the time.”

The USDA directive also says states are liable for the “overissuances that result from the noncompliance.”

Polis said Colorado is continuing to move forward with the partial SNAP payments, with a 35% reduction that states are still required to send out.

“Those Coloradans who will get the reduced benefits should begin to see those payments over the next few days,” Polis said. “The fastest way to clean up this mess would be for the federal government to drop its court appeals.”

Meanwhile, the state and local governments are making efforts to fill the gap as the shutdown continues.

Colorado, in late October, approved up to $10 million to assist Coloradans affected by the SNAP pause.

Jefferson County on Saturday issued an order declaring an emergency disaster because of the “imminent and long-lasting health and economic effects taking hold in our county” and allocated $250,000 to local food banks.