Daily Voice
By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice
Many Northeast states are suing the Trump administration as roughly 42 million Americans could lose major food assistance amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The lawsuit was filed by 25 states in a Massachusetts federal court on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Northeastern members of the suit include Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont.
The states filed the lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins. The suit also names the Office of Management and Budget, along with OMB director Russell Vought, who was an architect of the conservative Project 2025 policy book.
The Trump administration is accused of withholding emergency funds to maintain the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program during the shutdown. The USDA said it won't issue SNAP benefits, which are also known as "food stamps," on Saturday, Nov. 1.
Attorneys general from across the country argue that the USDA has billions in funds set aside by Congress to prevent this kind of disruption for millions of families.
"Despite having the money to fund SNAP, the Trump administration is creating needless fear, angst, and harm for millions of families and their children, especially as we approach the holidays," said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, who is a co-leader of the lawsuit. "It is past time for the Trump administration to act to help, rather than harm, those who rely on our government."
Volunteers handing out food at a food bank.
The group says the Trump administration is violating the Food and Nutrition Act, which requires the federal government to give assistance to all eligible households, along with the Administrative Procedure Act, which bars arbitrary actions by federal agencies.
The Trump administration cut nearly $1 billion in federal aid for programs that fight hunger earlier in 2025, The New York Times reported. Recent USDA data says that there are more than 47 million Americans who face food insecurity at some point each year, while millions more don't fit that definition, but still rely on charities to get meals.
States are seeking an emergency court order to restart payments before November.
"Millions of Americans are about to go hungry because the federal government has chosen to withhold food assistance it is legally obligated to provide," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. "SNAP is one of our nation's most effective tools to fight hunger, and the USDA has the money to keep it running. There is no excuse for this administration to abandon families who rely on SNAP, or food stamps, as a lifeline. The federal government must do its job to protect families."
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong blasted President Donald Trump directly for not funding SNAP.
"Trump is stealing food from hungry Connecticut families — it's unconscionable, unlawful, and we're going to court today to free these funds," said Tong. "There are billions of dollars in contingency funds, paid for by taxpayers and appropriated by Congress sitting there to help American families buy food at a time when grocery prices are already out of control. Trump has no right to block these funds and we're not going to let him use our families as political bargaining chips."
President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a summit in Tokyo on October 28, 2025.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said the Trump administration is using families as "political pawns."
"This is especially devastating in the month of November, when families are gathering and demands on food banks and pantries are heaviest," said Platkin. "We are standing up for families across our state and fighting to ensure that they continue to have access to food for their households."
Maryland leaders say the state is especially vulnerable because of its high number of federal employees suffering during the government shutdown.
"Time is running out to prevent hundreds of thousands of Maryland families from losing access to food," said Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown. "We're taking the Trump administration to court because Maryland's children and families deserve better than a federal government that chooses to let them go hungry despite having the resources to help."
Rollins pushed back against the states' claims in a Fox News interview.
"[The] USDA does not have the $9.2 billion that it would require," she said. "There's not just pots of $9.2 billion sitting around, and what's particularly rich about New York saying that, or California, or any of these other blue states that have filed the lawsuit to say, 'Oh no, we're going to go, you guys, USDA, go find the money.'"
The agriculture secretary's comments echo the Trump administration and Republicans blaming the shutdown on Senate Democrats, who opposed a House-passed stopgap bill as they push for an extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
"Bottom line, the well has run dry," a partisan message on the USDA's website read. "At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance."
According to KFF, millions of Americans could see their Marketplace premiums more than double when the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits expire at the end of 2025. Someone making $28,000 annually would see their yearly premium jump from about $325 to more than $1,500 if the credits end.
Democrats are also seeking to reverse Medicaid cuts in the GOP-passed spending plan previously called the "One Big Beautiful Bill" that President Donald Trump signed into law in July. Republicans argue that the federal government should be reopened before starting negotiations.
Other states in the SNAP lawsuit include Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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