Attorney General Bonta: Two Court Orders Hold Trump Accountable for Unlawful SNAP Benefits Suspension

Urges Trump Administration to fund November SNAP benefits expeditiously

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released the following statement in response to decisions issued by two federal district courts - one in Massachusetts and the other in Rhode Island - holding the Trump Administration accountable for unlawfully suspending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the month of November.

"Today, not one, but two federal district courts determined that the Trump Administration acted unlawfully when it chose to suspend SNAP benefits for the month of November. The Trump Administration knows that it has a legal duty to fund SNAP benefits, even during the current government shutdown. In fact, just last month, the USDA admitted as much in a document that it later deleted from its website," said Attorney General Bonta. "SNAP benefits provide an essential hunger safety net to an average of 5.5 million Californians each month. Simply put, the stakes could not be higher. The Trump Administration must move expeditiously to fund November SNAP benefits."

Earlier this week, Attorney General Bonta co-led a coalition of 23 attorneys general and three governors in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Secretary, Brooke Rollins, over the unlawful suspension of November SNAP benefits. The coalition also filed a request for a temporary restraining order, which the court considered during an in-person hearing yesterday. In that case, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued an order today stating that USDA's SNAP "contingency reserve . . . must be deployed to fund SNAP benefits." The court also determined that Attorney General Bonta and the coalition are "likely to succeed on their claim that [the Trump Administration's] suspension of SNAP benefits is unlawful."

In a related lawsuit brought by a coalition of local governments, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, and workers' rights organizations, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued an order directing USDA to fund November SNAP benefits using at least the over $5 billion in contingency funds that it has available.

A copy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts' decision can be found here.