A federal judge ordered the U.S. government to continue providing food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the ongoing federal shutdown, delivering a victory for New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of state leaders.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture must use contingency funds to keep SNAP benefits flowing in November. The court found the agency’s decision to suspend benefits likely unlawful and directed officials to report by Monday on their plans to execute the payments.
“Millions of families rely on SNAP — or food stamps — to survive,” James said in a statement. “The administration tried to use the shutdown as an excuse to withhold food assistance from vulnerable Americans, but the court has made clear that the law requires those benefits to continue.”
James, joined by 25 other attorneys general and governors, sued the USDA earlier this week after the agency announced plans to halt November benefits because of the shutdown. The coalition argued the department had access to billions of dollars in a congressionally approved contingency fund to maintain the program during funding lapses.
The Massachusetts court ruled that suspending SNAP would violate federal law and ordered the USDA to use available resources to avoid any disruption. While the court stopped short of granting a formal temporary restraining order, it required immediate steps to ensure benefits continue and mandated a government update by Nov. 3.
In a related case, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued a nationwide temporary restraining order requiring the administration to restore SNAP benefits “as soon as possible.”
James said her office will continue to monitor compliance and defend access to food assistance for New Yorkers and families across the country.
