Half of all U.S. states and the District of Columbia have sued the Trump administration over cutting off funding for food stamps amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The coalition of mostly Democrat-led states filed the lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Secretary Brooke Rollins “for indefinitely suspending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits” for the nearly 42 million people — 12% of U.S. residents — enrolled each month.
After the federal government officially shut down Oct. 1 after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement, the USDA formally decided to suspend SNAP benefits beginning in November unless funding is secured. A notice on the USDA’s website reads: “Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.”
The agency has a $6 billion contingency fund but said it will not use it to pay for benefits because Congress did not approve any money for those benefits prior to the shutdown.
The states suing the USDA argue that withholding funding violates the Administrative Procedure Act, the federal law that governs how federal agencies develop and issue regulations. In the meantime, some states, like California, Minnesota and New York, are providing emergency funding to ensure benefits can continue without disruption.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in announcing the lawsuit that the Trump administration, through the USDA, has chosen “to play politics with this essential safety net that so many people depend on — including 5.5 million individuals in California alone.”
The USDA countered with a statement blaming Democrats for not funding the government, saying the party has decide whether to “continue to hold out for the Far-Left wing of the party or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC and SNAP allotments.”
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
