New York Attorney General Letitia James today secured a major win in her fight to protect lifesaving food assistance for millions of Americans after a federal judge ruled that the federal government must use its contingency funds to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) running during the shutdown. The court found that the administration’s decision to suspend SNAP benefits for November was likely unlawful and ordered the administration to report back by Monday on its plans to use contingency funding to execute November SNAP benefits.
“Millions of families rely on SNAP — or food stamps — to survive,” said Attorney General James. “The administration tried to use the shutdown as an excuse to withhold food assistance from vulnerable Americans, but the court has made clear that the law requires those benefits to continue. The federal government cannot simply walk away from its obligation to feed the people it serves. We will keep fighting until every family in New York and across the nation can put food on the table.”