Pennsylvania and New Jersey have joined forces with 23 other states to take on the Trump administration over its decision to suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which will leave millions of Americans without access to critical food assistance.
The lawsuit claims that the US Department of Agriculture has billions of dollars in contingency funding available for SNAP, but is refusing to use it. This move comes as the federal government is in its 28th day of shutdown, with no end in sight due to congressional impasse over appropriations spending.
SNAP benefits are crucial for nearly 40 million Americans, including approximately 2 million in Pennsylvania and over 800,000 in New Jersey. The program is funded by the US Department of Agriculture and provides vital assistance to low-income families struggling to afford food.
The lawsuit alleges that the USDA's decision to suspend SNAP benefits without using the available contingency funding is a clear violation of the Food and Nutrition Act, which protects access to this critical benefit. The coalition of states argues that the administration is using its authority as the SNAP program administrator to make "unlawful" decisions that put vulnerable populations at risk.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has joined other Democratic governors in filing the lawsuit, described it as "unacceptable" for the Trump administration to use SNAP benefits as a bargaining chip. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin echoed similar sentiments, stating that his state's families are being "used as political pawns" by the administration.
Philadelphia, one of the nation's poorest big cities, is expected to bear the brunt of this decision, with 475,000 residents relying on SNAP benefits and many more struggling with food insecurity. Food banks in the city have already reported a surge in demand, with some organizations warning that they cannot fill the gap if SNAP payments are halted.
The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to require the USDA to maintain SNAP benefits through November. As the shutdown drags on, millions of Americans will be left without access to the food assistance they need most – a stark reminder of the human cost of politics and bureaucratic inaction.
The lawsuit claims that the US Department of Agriculture has billions of dollars in contingency funding available for SNAP, but is refusing to use it. This move comes as the federal government is in its 28th day of shutdown, with no end in sight due to congressional impasse over appropriations spending.
SNAP benefits are crucial for nearly 40 million Americans, including approximately 2 million in Pennsylvania and over 800,000 in New Jersey. The program is funded by the US Department of Agriculture and provides vital assistance to low-income families struggling to afford food.
The lawsuit alleges that the USDA's decision to suspend SNAP benefits without using the available contingency funding is a clear violation of the Food and Nutrition Act, which protects access to this critical benefit. The coalition of states argues that the administration is using its authority as the SNAP program administrator to make "unlawful" decisions that put vulnerable populations at risk.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has joined other Democratic governors in filing the lawsuit, described it as "unacceptable" for the Trump administration to use SNAP benefits as a bargaining chip. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin echoed similar sentiments, stating that his state's families are being "used as political pawns" by the administration.
Philadelphia, one of the nation's poorest big cities, is expected to bear the brunt of this decision, with 475,000 residents relying on SNAP benefits and many more struggling with food insecurity. Food banks in the city have already reported a surge in demand, with some organizations warning that they cannot fill the gap if SNAP payments are halted.
The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to require the USDA to maintain SNAP benefits through November. As the shutdown drags on, millions of Americans will be left without access to the food assistance they need most – a stark reminder of the human cost of politics and bureaucratic inaction.
I mean come on! The Trump administration is really putting millions of Americans at risk with this SNAP benefits thing... Like, what's wrong with using that contingency funding? 
It's not like they're running out of money or anything. And now states are joining forces to fight it? 
That's pretty cool, actually. I mean, PA and NJ are definitely gonna get hit hard if these benefits get suspended... Philly is one of the poorest cities in the country, so yeah that'd be a disaster. It's not just about politics, though - people are really struggling here. Food banks are already overwhelmed... Let's hope they can stop this shutdown somehow! 
are you kiddin me?! This is just another example of how outta touch the gov't is with regular people's lives! 
millions of Americans rely on SNAP to get by, and now they're gonna just leave them hangin'? 
that's not only cruel but also irresponsible. The whole country's shut down over this... what's next? 
do we gotta wait for our food stamps to catch up with the Trump administration's ego trip? 
meanwhile poor Philly (Philadelphia) is gonna be like "help!!!" 475k ppl are counting on them but nope, they'll just have to eat ramen noodles for every meal 
Shapiro and Platkin are all like "nope, not cool admin" 
the fact that some food banks are already flooded is wild I guess when u can't even get basic stuff right, u gotta resort to using ppl as pawns 
. I mean, who thought suspending SNAP benefits was a good idea? 
. It's like they're using people as pawns in some twisted game 
. And what really gets me is that there's contingency funding available, but the admin is just refusing to use it 
.
. I mean, what's going on here? The Trump administration is basically holding food assistance hostage over their disagreement with Congress. It's not like they're asking for much - just to use some extra funds that are already set aside to keep the program running. But no, instead of working together and finding a compromise, they're choosing to leave millions of Americans without access to basic necessities.