RI Attorney General Neronha Sues Trump Administration For SNAP Funding Freeze

PROVIDENCE, RI —Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha was joined by 22 other attorneys general and three governors in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration Tuesday, claiming the United States Department of Agriculture is unlawfully suspending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the ongoing government shutdown.

Earlier this week, the USDA announced that Rhode Island residents who receive SNAP benefits, or food stamps, won't get their November benefits amid the shutdown, which will enter its fifth week on Wednesday.

In 2024, 144,200 Rhode Island residents received SNAP benefits.

In a notice posted on its website, the agency said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits flowing into November.

Related: Rhode Island Gov. McKee Declares State Of Emergency Over SNAP Funding Freeze

The program helps about one in eight Americans buy groceries.

“When the President and his Administration blame lapsing SNAP benefits on the government shutdown, they are lying to you,” Neronha said in a media release.

“The USDA has billions in contingency funds for this express purpose — so that Americans don’t go hungry waiting for their federal government to get its act together," Neronha said. "Forty-two million Americans rely on SNAP to feed themselves and their families, including nearly 150,000 Rhode Islanders, for whom this is potentially a life-threatening situation. So, as the President prioritizes golden ballrooms over access to food, we will continue to fight on behalf of all Americans.”

The shutdown began on Oct. 1 when the new federal fiscal year began without an appropriation by Congress to fund the federal government.

Related: Rhode Island Energy Proposes Extending Winter Moratorium To Provide Relief

On Oct. 10, the USDA sent a letter to state SNAP agencies saying that if the shutdown continued, there would be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for the approximately 42 million people across the country who rely on them.

Gov. Dan McKee declared a state of emergency over the SNAP funding freeze.

“President Trump’s failure to act is cruel and unacceptable,” McKee said in a media release.

“I’m continuing to call on the President to use all available options to cover November benefits," McKee said. "But make no mistake, Rhode Island will not stand by and allow families to go hungry. We’re taking decisive action to protect food access wherever possible and strengthen our local food banks.”

Related: Rhode Island SNAP Benefits Won't Go Out In November, Officials Confirm

The lawsuit claims that despite the USDA's assertion of insufficient funds, Congress has appropriated billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funds to the agency in case of a situation like the shutdown.

"Furthermore, the USDA has funded other programs during this shutdown, but has refused to fund SNAP, leaving millions of Americans without the assistance they need to buy food," the lawsuit says. "It is clear the federal government is making a deliberate, unlawful and inhumane choice not to fund the crucial SNAP program."

The lawsuit also alleges the lapse in benefits will have "dire consequences" for the economy and put additional strain on state and local governments and community organizations working to fill the nutrition gap.

"Suspending SNAP benefits will also harm the hundreds of thousands of grocers and merchants that accept SNAP payment for food purchases across the country," the lawsuit states. "The USDA has estimated that in a slowing economy, every $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.54 in economic activity."

Related: SNAP Benefits May Change In Rhode Island Due To Government Shutdown

Joining Neronha in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California,, are the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania have also joined.

Despite the lawsuit, USDA officials argued in a memo to states sent Friday that “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits," according to a Washington Post report.

“It has never been used to complement benefits,” a senior administration official told the Post. “We’ve never had a lapse in appropriations like this. It’s something that has not been tested, but precedent is for times of disaster.”

During previous shutdowns, the USDA allowed states to use the contingency fund to pay for SNAP, including during the longest-ever closure, which ran from December 2018 into January 2019 in the first Trump administration, according to the Post.

Related: Rep. Amo Meets With Behavioral And Mental Health Leaders About Shutdown