A federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the Trump Administration to fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by Friday, November 7. The administration has appealed the decision.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell responded to the ruling, stating, “I am grateful that the Court has issued a swift and decisive order directing the federal government to fully fund the SNAP program. Even after the judge made the federal government’s legal obligations crystal clear, the Trump Administration continues to resist its responsibility to feed hungry people,” said AG Campbell. “The federal government has always had the money to fund this program, but instead of prioritizing the health and wellbeing American families including children and seniors, they choose to use it as political bargaining chip.”
According to state data, about one in eight Americans depend on SNAP benefits for groceries. In Massachusetts, nearly 60 percent of those receiving assistance are either children or elderly individuals.
The court’s decision follows an attempt by the Trump Administration to partially fund SNAP, which led to confusion and delays for states. Attorney General Campbell co-led a separate lawsuit challenging this move as unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act.
