Press Statement  AG Campbell Issues Statement On Order In SNAP Benefits Case

Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today issued the following statement after a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts issued an order finding that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) contingency funds to fund the program during the ongoing federal government shutdown. The Court also found that if the contingency fund cannot fully fund the program in November, then the federal government must consider other, additional funding sources. USDA has until the end of the day on Monday to let the Court know whether it will fully or partially fund the SNAP program. 

“Today, as millions of Americans go into this weekend unsure of how they will buy food, the Court has affirmed that USDA is legally required to utilize the SNAP contingency fund to pay for benefits during the government shutdown,” said AG Campbell. “It is unacceptable that our federal government has put us in the position of having to fight to help feed our residents. While today’s decision marks a much-needed step in the right direction, our residents will still feel the devastating impacts of the federal government’s disregard for their health and wellbeing as they wait for the Court’s order to be implemented. I will continue standing up against this Administration’s cruel and unlawful actions and work to ensure every Massachusetts resident who needs food assistance receives it – because hunger is not political; it is a human crisis.” 

The order comes after AG Campbell co-led a coalition of 26 states in suing 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. Today’s order makes clear that USDA must use contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits. The federal Administration has indicated that the funds will not be enough to cover the cost of November SNAP for all 50 states, and the order puts the ball in the federal government’s court. The federal government must tell the Court by Monday, November 3, whether it will utilize other funding sources beyond the SNAP contingency fund to ensure that 42 million Americans do not risk going hungry in November.