ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State Attorney General Letitia James is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture for “unlawfully” suspending SNAP benefits during the now 28-day-long federal government shutdown.
A group of 26 other state attorneys general and state governors is joining her in the lawsuit.
SNAP benefits are set to be suspended on Nov. 1. Nearly 3 million New Yorkers depend on SNAP to feed their families. In total, the suspension will impact 40 million Americans in the country.
Attorney General James argued that the suspension violates federal law. She said that USDA is legally required to continue providing benefits as long as it has funding, saying that the department still has “billions of dollars” in contingency funds that Congress appropriated to continue to issue benefits in the event of a funding lapse.
“Millions of Americans are about to go hungry because the federal government has chosen to withhold food assistance it is legally obligated to provide,” said Attorney General James in a news release. “SNAP is one of our nation’s most effective tools to fight hunger, and the USDA has the money to keep it running. There is no excuse for this administration to abandon families who rely on SNAP, or food stamps, as a lifeline. The federal government must do its job to protect families.”
AG James and the 26 other plaintiffs named in the lawsuit are demanding that the court declare the suspension illegal and mandate that it continues to issue benefits amid the shutdown. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Governor Kathy Hochul released the following statement regarding the lawsuit:
Three million New Yorkers are set to lose food assistance this Saturday as the Trump Administration unlawfully withholds emergency funding. We are staring down a public health crisis that puts one million children and over 600,000 older adults lives at risk because Republicans in Washington are refusing to do their jobs and the Trump Administration is hellbent on letting Americans suffer the consequences.New York will not sit idly by when lives are on the line. We’re proud to assist the Office of the Attorney General in joining 24 other states in suing the Trump Administration, demanding the release of emergency funds so families can continue to put food on the table through this government shutdown.For weeks, my office has been sounding the alarm over the impact of the GOP shutdown on New Yorkers’ access to critical programs like SNAP. Yesterday, we fast-tracked $30 million in emergency food assistance funding that will support over 16 million meals. As I’ve been clear, no state can backfill this essential federal program but I am committed to doing everything in my power to hold the Trump Administration accountable and ensure New Yorkers do not go hungry.
On Monday, Governor Hochul announced that she is fast-tracking $30 million to support more than 16 million meals in New York State.
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The governor also announced the launch of a website where New Yorkers can voice their frustration with the government shutdown. You can use the website at this link.