U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) speaks next to U.S. Representative Angie Craig (D-Minn) and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) during a press conference to discuss how the ongoing government shutdown is affecting SNAP food aid benefits and healthcare on Tuesday, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (REUTERS/Kylie Cooper)
WASHINGTON -- More than two dozen states sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its recent refusal to fund food stamps during the government shutdown, seeking to spare roughly 42 million people from hunger and financial hardship starting in a matter of days.
The states, including officials in Hawaii, California and Massachusetts, asked a federal judge to force Washington to tap emergency reserve money so families would not see an interruption to their benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, starting Nov. 1.
Roughly 1 in 8 people in the United States receive food stamps, which average around $187 a month and cost the federal government about $8 billion monthly. Lawmakers must regularly approve money for it, though SNAP maintains a sizable reserve to cover any shortfalls.
Many congressional Democrats and Republicans had encouraged the Trump administration to use this funding to preserve food stamps into November. But the Trump administration declined Friday to extend that reprieve, even though the Agriculture Department said weeks ago that it could reprogram the money to prevent benefit cuts.
In their lawsuit, officials from 25 states and the District of Columbia criticized the Trump administration for its sudden reversal, arguing that the federal government had a legal obligation to maintain food stamps by any means necessary.
The states asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to rule by Friday on a motion that would force the administration to tap the contingency funds to pay SNAP benefits in November. The fund, which is estimated to contain $5 billion to $6 billion, would be enough to provide at least partial payments to roughly 42 million low-income enrollees.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez joined 22 other attorneys general and three governors Tuesday in suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins for what they called the unlawful suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the federal government shutdown.
"The unlawful suspension of SNAP benefits jeopardizes food security for thousands of Hawaii residents who rely on this lifeline every day," Lopez said in a statement. "Our office is committed to protecting the rights of families and individuals who depend on this program."
Lopez said the USDA has billions of dollars in contingency funds that Congress specifically appropriated for maintaining SNAP operations during funding lapses but has refused to use them. She warned the lapse in benefits would strain local governments and food banks already struggling to meet rising needs.
An average of about 161,400 people in Hawaii -- including roughly 27,900 families and more than 62,000 children -- rely on SNAP benefits each month. The state's Department of Human Services issued nearly $58 million per month in SNAP