Maine among states suing Trump administration to release November SNAP benefits

Maine and about two dozen other states are suing the Trump administration in an attempt to have federal food assistance benefits released next month in the midst of an ongoing government shutdown.

The complaint, filed in federal district court in Massachusetts, alleges that the suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits is illegal. The attorneys general say the U.S. Department of Agriculture has access to billions of dollars in contingency funds and can use them pay for the November benefits.

USDA has said it cannot use those contingency funds.

“The contingency fund is not available to support FY2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists,” the department said late last week in a memo.

Contingency funding must be available for other purposes, USDA added, including disaster relief.

The attorneys general, however, argue that because states are responsible for administering the federal food assistance program, suspending SNAP benefits is a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.

And in a statement, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said USDA is “simply refusing” to release the food assistance benefits.

“It is unconscionably cruel and unlawful,” he said. “My colleagues and I are going to court to insist that the Trump administration follow the law and use the funds Congress appropriated to ensure SNAP can continue through the shutdown.”

The attorneys general say they will also seek a temporary restraining order asking that the court immediately distribute upcoming SNAP benefits.

Roughly 170,000 Mainers, or about 12% of the state’s population, rely on SNAP benefits. About 75% of Maine of households that receive the food assistance benefits include at least one working adult; more than half include a person with a disability. More than one-third of households include children.