Minnesota Part of Lawsuit To Force USDA To Fund SNAP Program

(KNSI) – Minnesota and over a dozen other states have sued the Trump Administration, asking that it be forced to continue paying Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits beyond October 31st.

Attorney General Keith Ellison says the move to halt the payments is cruel and unnecessary, potentially harming 440,000 Minnesotans. Of that number, 180,000 are children and 67,000 are seniors.

Ellison says, “Congress put a rainy-day fund in place so nutrition support could continue during a government shutdown, yet despite that clear Congressional intent, Trump’s USDA is refusing to tap into that fund. It is a disgrace to the presidency that Donald Trump is using hungry children throughout Minnesota as bargaining chips in the fight over his government shutdown. His actions aren’t just cruel though, they are unlawful. It’s my job to help Minnesotans afford their lives, and today that means taking the Trump administration to court to help feed people in need.”

KNSI News reached out to the Attorney General’s office about whether the contingency fund set up by Congress has enough in reserves to last through November. The SNAP program spends about $8 billion per month. The fund currently has between $5 and $6 billion in it. Officials say there is a separate pool totaling close to $23 billion that is used for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, which could also be extended to SNAP.

It is unclear if redirecting that money to SNAP would be accepted by a judge if challenged in court.

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