NY Attorney General praises ruling on SNAP benefits

ALBANY — NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES AND A COALITION OF 25 STATES ALSO PUSHED FOR FULL BENEFIT RESTORATION, in a brief she filed on Thursday.

Although the USDA has claimed that its contingency fund can only cover a portion of November’s nationwide SNAP payments, James’ office pointed out that the agency has declined to use another legally available source of money, its Section 32 funds that Congress appropriated to support food assistance, which would easily allow it to pay full benefits to every recipient.

Following Judge McConnell’s ruling late Thursday afternoon, Attorney General James stated, “A judge in Rhode Island just stopped the federal government from starving millions of Americans. I am relieved that people will get the food they need, but it is outrageous that it took a lawsuit to make the federal government feed its own people.”

James and the coalition of states asked the judge to order the USDA to pay full benefits and ensure the 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP do not go hungry this Thanksgiving.

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