With the deadline for funding SNAP benefits approaching, a group of attorneys general and governors have sued the Trump administration, saying the widely used food assistance program was suspended unlawfully.
The lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins says the funds were suspended despite there being contingency funds available to pay out full SNAP benefits in November for all 42 million people who use them.
It’s the new legal battle amid the ongoing government shutdown. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Boston.
“Despite having the money to fund SNAP, the Trump Administration is creating needless fear, angst and harm for millions of families and their children especially as we approach the holidays,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said in a statement. ”It is past time for the Trump Administration to act to help, rather than harm, those who rely on our government.”
Gov. Maura Healey said that President Donald Trump has the power to distribute federal dollars that serve as a lifeline for many residents, but that Massachusetts does not have the money to cover the benefits if they are lost.
This is a developing news story that will be updated.
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