Attorney General Rob Bonta was joined by Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kim Johnson during a press conference on Oct. 28 regarding a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Photo by Andrea Valadez)
A Rhode Island federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the month of November by Friday.
Last month, California Attorney General Rob Bonta co-led a coalition of 23 states and three governors in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its decision to let SNAP benefits lapse during the government shutdown.
“We continue to believe that the Trump Administration is legally required to pay full November SNAP benefits, which would also be far easier to get out the door,” said Bonta in a statement. “And it’s great news that they have now been ordered to do precisely that. Instead of simply focusing on getting vital food assistance to millions of people, however, [the] USDA has appealed this latest order. It’s unconscionable. Californians, and people across this country, can’t afford any more delays or excuses.”
As a result of last month’s lawsuit, two federal judges, in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, ordered the administration on Oct. 31 to use the bucket of nearly $5 billion in contingency funds to either partially or fully fund SNAP. On Nov. 3, the administration agreed in a court filing to partially fund the program with $3 billion.
Despite the administration’s court filing, Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Nov. 4 that benefits will “be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up the government … and not before!”
In a reply brief filed by the coalition on Nov. 6, the states claimed the USDA’s plan to partially fund SNAP does not satisfy the USDA’s legal obligations and “are likely to lead to unnecessary, and in some cases, substantial, delays” in providing relief to individuals on SNAP. The USDA’s plan offered to cover only 65% of the maximum benefit, leaving some individuals not receiving anything.
In response to the brief, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. required the agency to fully fund November benefits by Friday, Nov. 6.
Shortly after the ruling, the Trump administration filed a motion to appeal the decision.
Over 41 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to purchase groceries. In California, 5.5 million are on SNAP.
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