WA joins multi-state lawsuit to reverse suspension of SNAP benefits

Government shutdown nears one-month mark amid ACA and SNAP deadlock

The federal government shutdown has stalled for 27 days, causing federal workers to miss their first paycheck and raising concerns about flight disruptions. The stalemate continues as Democrats insist on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, while funding for SNAP food benefits is set to expire November 1st.

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington joined a multi-state lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture for suspending SNAP benefits.

The lawsuit comes 28 days into the federal government shutdown. The USDA sent a letter to state SNAP agencies, warning that there will not be enough funding to pay SNAP benefits for some 42 million Americans in November.

The lawsuit was filed by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin, as well as the governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

They are calling for a temporary restraining order to immediately reinstate SNAP benefits.

The backstory:

The multi-state lawsuit argues that the USDA is being dishonest, and that they have "access to billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funds appropriated by Congress for this very purpose." They also note that the USDA has successfully funded other programs with emergency funds, and is simply refusing to fund SNAP.

"SNAP benefits help ensure that nearly a million Washingtonians – seniors, children, and people living with disabilities – have enough to eat every day," said AG Nick Brown. "Trump is picking and choosing what gets funded and what doesn’t during the shutdown. Apparently keeping food on the table for more than 40 million Americans isn’t a priority for the President."

By the numbers:

The Attorney General's Office warns the suspension of SNAP benefits will endanger nearly 1 million Washingtonians, including 300,000 children, who rely on the assistance to afford food. They argue this will also put "unnecessary strain" on local governments, community organizations and stores across the state, as hundreds of thousands of people will be forced to tighten their budgets and cut back on food spending.

The AGO points to previous USDA estimates that every $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.54 in economic activity.

What's next:

According to the lawsuit, the USDA does not have the authority to end SNAP benefits during a government shutdown, and is defying orders from Congress to keep those benefits in place. The AGO argues the USDA's suspension of benefits is illegal and "capricious" under the Administrative Procedure Act.

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