Attorney General Ford Issues Statement on Order in SNAP Benefits Case

Federal Judge Issues Order Directing USDA to Use SNAP Contingency Funds

Carson, City, NV - Today, Attorney General Aaron D. Ford today issued the following statement after a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts issued an order finding that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) contingency funds to fund the program during the ongoing federal government shutdown. The Court also found that if the contingency fund cannot fully fund the program in November, then the federal government must consider other, additional funding sources. USDA has until the end of the day on Monday to let the Court know whether it will fully or partially fund the SNAP program.

"The court's decision is clear - the Trump administration must use the contingency fund to ensure SNAP benefits continue through this government shutdown. The USDA has until Monday, Nov. 3 to decide how to proceed with this order, said Attorney General Ford. "I will always fight to ensure Nevadans do not wonder where their next meal is coming from. And I will continue this legal fight as long as it takes to ensure that no Nevadan goes hungry."

The order comes after Attorney General Ford joined a coalition of 26 states in suing the Trump Administration for suspending SNAP benefits in a manner that is both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act. Today's order makes clear that USDA must use contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits. The federal Administration has indicated that the funds will not be enough to cover the cost of November SNAP for all 50 states, and the order puts the ball in the federal government's court. The federal government must tell the Court by Monday, November 3, whether it will utilize other funding sources beyond the SNAP contingency fund to ensure that 42 million Americans do not risk going hungry in November.

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