Press Release  AG Campbell Asks Court To Compel Trump Administration To Deliver Full SNAP Benefits

Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today co-led a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia in filing a response to the federal government’s decision to only partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the 42 million Americans relying on it. Under the federal government’s current plan, SNAP benefits would only be partially funded using the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) SNAP contingency fund. The coalition argues that the federal government has created chaos and delay with the roll-out of partial benefits, has the money to fully fund the program and is legally required to do so. 

“The federal government has shown that it is only willing to do the bare minimum, when compelled by our lawsuit and the courts – and even then in a way that is so complicated and burdensome that it delays benefits even further. If they are unwilling to do the right thing and fund this program fully on their own, then we will ask the court to make them do so,” said AG Campbell. “Hunger is not a political bargaining chip. Never in the history of the SNAP program has the federal government declined to fully fund benefits. It’s time for this Administration to do their jobs and ensure that our residents – including children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities – can put food on their tables.”  

In their brief, the coalition argues that USDA’s unacceptable delays and needlessly complicated calculation of reduced benefits is untenable and unlawful. It is clear that issuing full benefits is the only way to prevent further irreparable harms to states and their residents. As such, the coalition is asking the Court to issue a Temporary Restraining Order compelling the federal government to pay full benefits.  

The coalition’s brief comes as part of an ongoing lawsuit co-led by AG Campbell against the Trump Administration for suspending SNAP benefits in a manner that is both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.  

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