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Food assistance

Government Shutdown Threatens Food Assistance for 42 Million Americans

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A coalition of Democratic state officials and three governors have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to force the release of food assistance funds for 42 million low-income Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. The lawsuit comes as the government shutdown continues, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) refusing to process November SNAP benefits due to a lack of funding for fiscal 2026. Despite holding $6 billion in a reserve fund, the USDA has said it will not use the contingency fund to continue benefits through the shutdown, a decision that the state officials have deemed arbitrary and capricious.

Key Takeaways:

  • The lawsuit was filed by 22 attorneys general and three governors, representing 22 states and the District of Columbia, against the Trump administration, seeking to force the release of food assistance funds for 42 million low-income Americans enrolled in SNAP.
  • The USDA has refused to process November SNAP benefits, citing a lack of funding for fiscal 2026, despite holding $6 billion in a reserve fund.
  • The state officials have accused the USDA of making an arbitrary and capricious decision, violating federal administrative law, and have sought a federal court order to block the administration from putting the decision in place.
  • SNAP benefits typically cost the federal government about $9 billion per month, meaning the contingency fund could cover about two-thirds of November's benefits.
  • The department could cover a full month by dipping into another USDA nutrition assistance program that holds about $23 billion.
  • The benefits delay has already affected some states, with California's EBT vendor requiring about a week to process transfers, and a strong possibility that the vendors will be overwhelmed by the workload once benefits are unfrozen.

Statistics:

  • 42 million: The number of low-income Americans enrolled in SNAP.
  • $9 billion: The typical monthly cost of SNAP benefits.
  • $6 billion: The amount held in a reserve fund by the USDA.
  • $23 billion: The amount held in another USDA nutrition assistance program that the department could use to cover a full month of SNAP benefits.
  • 22: The number of attorneys general that have joined the lawsuit.
  • 3: The number of governors that have joined the lawsuit.
  • 22: The number of states represented in the lawsuit.
  • 1: The number of D.C. that has joined the lawsuit.
  • 19: The number of Republican attorneys general that have signed a letter calling on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to support a Republican stopgap to prevent an interruption to SNAP benefits.
  • 1: The number of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that the Republican attorneys general have called on to support the stopgap.

Sources:

  • Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. United States Department of Agriculture (2025) (https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/commonwealth-of-massachusetts-v-united-states-department-of-agriculture-complaint-2025.pdf)
  • USDA will not shuffle funds to extend SNAP during shutdown (https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/usda-wont-shuffle-funds-extend-snap-during-shutdown-about-face-earlier-plan)
  • Republican attorneys general call on Senate leader to support stopgap to prevent SNAP benefits interruption (https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26205024-gop-ags-letter-to-senator-schumer-102825/)

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