Judge permanently blocks federal government’s illegal SNAP fines

Multi-state lawsuit also secures ruling that lawful permanent residents remain eligible for food assistance

The federal government is permanently blocked from illegally penalizing Washington and other states with steep fines tied to their administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), following a ruling in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.

The ruling makes a preliminary injunction the court issued in December 2025 permanent and goes further. The judge sided with Washington and a coalition of attorneys general on every claim, striking down both the administration's attempt to levy fines and its guidance restricting food assistance for lawful permanent residents.

"This case protects critical food benefits for people who are lawfully in this country and stops the government's illegal attempts to penalize states that support them," Brown said. "The rule of law has once again held the administration's overreach in check."

In November 2025, Brown and the coalition sued the Trump administration after it moved to cut off SNAP benefits for tens of thousands of lawful permanent residents and set a retroactive deadline that put states at risk of paying hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties.

The administration later reversed its position on eligibility for lawful permanent residents but continued to argue that states owed fines for missing a "grace period" that, in practice, had already expired before the administration finished issuing guidance on the changes.

The court found that states can't be penalized under the unlawful deadline the administration tried to impose. The decision also makes it clear that the standard five-year waiting period for SNAP does not apply to lawful permanent residents who were previously refugees, asylees, or other humanitarian immigrants.

The suit was led by the attorneys general of New York and Oregon. Brown joined the suit with the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Read the judgement.

-30-

Washington's Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state's largest law firm, the Attorney General's Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington's 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

Media Contact:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (360) 753-2727

General contacts: Click here

Media Resource Guide & Attorney General's Office FAQ