Attorney General Kris Mayes issued the following statement after a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts issued an order finding that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) contingency funds to fund the program during the ongoing federal government shutdown. The Court also found that if the contingency fund cannot fully fund the program in November, then the federal government must consider other, additional funding sources. USDA has until the end of the day on Monday to let the Court know whether it will fully or partially fund the SNAP program.
"In the lawsuit I filed to protect SNAP for 900,000 Arizonans — including 1 in 4 Arizona kids— the court ruled the Trump administration acted illegally by trying to cut off access to food benefits even though there are emergency funds available," said Attorney General Mayes. "USDA must come up with a plan to pay benefits by Monday. We’ll keep fighting to protect Arizonans."