On November 26, 2025, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from cutting off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for thousands of lawful permanent residents. On October 31, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued new guidance to state SNAP agencies describing changes to program eligibility under the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which narrowed eligibility for certain non-citizen groups, including refugees, asylum recipients, and others admitted under humanitarian protection programs. The USDA memo, however, incorrectly asserts that all individuals who entered the country through these humanitarian pathways would remain permanently ineligible for SNAP, even after obtaining green cards and becoming lawful permanent residents.  

The attorney general coalition emphasizes that this position is not mentioned in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” or in any other federal law. Federal statutes make clear that refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, individuals whose deportation has been withheld, and other vulnerable legal immigrants become eligible for SNAP once they obtain their green cards and meet standard program requirements. The attorneys general argue that USDA’s memo unlawfully rewrites those rules and threatens to cut off food assistance for people who are fully eligible under the law. The attorneys general also argue that USDA’s guidance misapplies the agency’s own regulations. Federal rules give states a 120-day grace period after new guidance is issued to adjust their systems without facing severe financial penalties. USDA is now claiming that this period expired on November 1, 2025, just one day after the guidance was released and before states even had a single business day to review it. USDA’s abrupt and incorrect guidance would force the states to overhaul eligibility systems overnight. The coalition warns this would create widespread confusion for families, increase the risk of wrongful benefit terminations, erode public trust, and place states in an untenable situation where they must either violate federal law or accept severe financial liability. The attorneys general are asking the court to vacate the unlawful guidance and block its implementation to ensure that families do not lose critical food assistance.

The administration issued new guidance on December 10, 2025, reversing the policies that would have cut benefits to lawful residents. On December 15, 2025, the court issued an order prohibiting the USDA from imposing fines on the states.

USDA has no authority to arbitrarily cut entire groups of people out of the SNAP program, and no one should go hungry because of the circumstances of their arrival to this country. My office will always fight to protect Americans’ SNAP benefits, and I will do everything in my power to shield New Yorkers from this unlawful policy. Attorney General Letitia James