ST. PAUL —Minnesota is among a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia suing the Trump administration for suspending SNAP benefits.
The United States Department of Agriculture said it will be out of funds for the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program starting Nov. 1, one month into the government shutdown.
But Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and the other plaintiffs in the lawsuit say the USDA is illegally suspending benefits.
They point to billions in SNAP-specific contingency funds that have long been set aside by Congress.
A news release from Ellison — who is one of the co-leaders of the lawsuit —said a USDA plan shared just before the shutdown started on Oct. 1 states SNAP would continue to operate, and “Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue." That plan has since been removed from the USDA’s website.
The release alleges that the suspension of benefits is a “deliberate, illegal, and inhumane choice” that will impact the health and well-being of millions of recipients and put unnecessary strain on state and local government and community organizations.
“It is hard to be shocked by the cruelty and illegality of the Trump administration anymore, yet I am shocked that Donald Trump is deliberately allowing 440,000 Minnesotans, to go hungry,” Ellison stated in the release.
“ ... It is a disgrace to the presidency that Donald Trump is using hungry children throughout Minnesota as bargaining chips in the fight over his government shutdown. His actions aren’t just cruel though, they are unlawful.”
National Public Radio reported a USDA memo states that the contingency funds "are only available to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits."
A notice posted earlier this week on the USDA website says Senate Democrats have repeatedly voted not to fund SNAP.
Democrats have repeatedly blocked Republican efforts to temporarily fund the federal government.
Leaders say they want Republicans to negotiate on a bipartisan compromise for expiring health insurance tax credits.
A politicized notice posted earlier this week on the USDA website blamed Senate Democrats for the suspension of SNAP benefits.
Without a deal to extend the Obama-era credits, health insurance premiums are expected to rise significantly when open enrollment begins Nov. 1.
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