CNN’s Scott Jennings made Democratic Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina admit Monday he supported rulings by federal district judges ordering President Donald Trump to fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the shutdown, despite the funds not being appropriated by Congress.
The Supreme Court allowed Trump to avoid using a contingency fund to provide SNAP benefits Friday, following decisions by federal district judges ordering Trump to spend the funds. After a brief exchange between Federalist reporter Brianna Lyman and Democratic activist Dylan Douglas, the son of Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennings homed in on Clyburn during a panel discussion on “CNN NewsNight.”
“Do you believe a judge — do you believe, as a member of Congress, a judge can compel the executive to spend money that you haven’t appropriated?” Jennings asked, with Clyburn responding, “Yes, I do. Yes, I do.”
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“Really?” a surprised Jennings asked, with Clyburn responding, “Yes.”
The Senate passed an amended version of a continuing resolution that fully funds the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Veterans Affairs and legislative functions while keeping the rest of the government open through Jan. 30, 2026, on Monday.
“I thought we didn’t want kings,” Jennings said, referencing the “No Kings” protests against Trump, with Clyburn responding, “Nobody wants kings.”
“They didn’t even want king for a day. I mean, that is literally a king: Spending money that is not appropriated?” Jennings asked, with Clyburn responding, “The judge is not a king.”
The Supreme Court previously limited the power of lower court judges to block policy when it ruled that district judges exceeded their authority by issuing nationwide injunctions in June in a case involving Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order on birthright citizenship.
“You’re turning the president into one if he can spend without appropriation,” Jennings said, with Clyburn claiming in response, “Well, now, if you got a rainy day fund, it was appropriated in that time.”
After some back and forth, during which “The View” co-host Ana Navarro jumped in, Jennings called Clyburn out to his face.
“Look, you guys have been railing against Trump being authoritarian, having too much power, too much executive power,” Jennings said. “And at the same time, Democrats have been arguing that he should go out and spend money that has not been appropriated this year by Congress.”
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