Trump ‘took notes from the Grinch’: States sue over SNAP program changes
A coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general has initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration, aiming to block new guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that they claim unjustly categorizes thousands of immigrants—including refugees and asylum seekers—as “permanently” ineligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Filed in Eugene, Oregon, the lawsuit challenges the USDA’s recent memo that narrows eligibility criteria for SNAP, which is vital for the nutritional support of approximately 40 million Americans each month. The attorneys general argue that this new guidance, which aligns with provisions from the GOP-led Big Beautiful Bill tax and spending legislation, misinterprets the law by excluding lawful permanent residents from receiving food assistance, despite their legal eligibility once they obtain green cards.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, speaking on behalf of the coalition, emphasized the detrimental impact of the USDA’s guidance, stating that it “blatantly misapplies the agency’s own regulations.” The lawsuit contends that the misclassification of refugees, asylees, and other humanitarian entrants as ineligible threatens the stability of SNAP and could leave many families without essential food resources. The attorneys general estimate that the number of affected individuals could reach into the thousands across various states, with over 30,000 residents in New York alone facing potential food insecurity due to this policy change. Furthermore, they criticized the USDA for implementing this guidance with little notice—only one day for states to comply—which they argue creates an untenable patchwork of benefits that could lead to financial penalties for non-compliance.
The coalition is seeking emergency relief from a federal judge to block the USDA’s guidance, asserting that it undermines the intent of Congress and poses significant risks to food assistance programs nationwide. By misclassifying eligible groups, the USDA’s memo could disrupt the lives of many who rely on SNAP for their daily sustenance. The attorneys general’s legal action highlights the broader implications of the USDA’s decision, as they warn that such policy changes could exacerbate food insecurity among vulnerable populations, including those who have already navigated complex immigration processes to secure their status in the United States.
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A coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general sued the
Trump
administration
Wednesday to block new U.S. Department of Agriculture guidance that they argue illegally lists thousands of immigrants — including refugees and asylum seekers — as being “permanently” ineligible for anti-hunger benefits.
The
lawsuit
, filed by the attorneys general Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon, seeks to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new, more narrow eligibility criteria for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which the agency published in a memo late last month.
They argued that the new USDA guidance, intended to comply with a provision under the GOP-led Big Beautiful Bill tax and spending legislation, goes beyond what lawmakers intended by incorrectly classifying certain individuals — including refugees and asylum seekers who have been granted lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. — as “permanently ineligible” for SNAP.
Rather, they said, the guidance “threatens to destabilize SNAP nationwide,” and risks jeopardizing food access for families who “have done everything right.”
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The attorneys general said Wednesday that the
new USDA guidance
in question makes clear that “refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, individuals whose deportation has been withheld, and other humanitarian entrants become eligible for SNAP once they obtain their green cards and meet standard program requirements.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters on a call Wednesday that the USDA guidance “blatantly misapplies the agency’s own regulations” for SNAP, the nation’s largest anti-hunger program that provides food aid to some 40 million Americans each month.
While it is unclear how many individuals in each state would be affected, the attorneys general estimated the number would be well into the thousands, including more than 30,000 residents in New York alone.
The new guidance “misclassifies entire groups of lawfully present immigrants as ‘not eligible’ when the law says they are eligible once they become lawful permanent residents,”
Bonta said
Wednesday, describing the guidance as reading “like someone took notes from the Grinch.”
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The lawsuit asks a federal judge in Oregon to grant emergency relief and issue an order blocking the USDA guidance. It also warned that the patchwork system of benefits created as a result of the guidance “threatens to destabilize SNAP nationwide,” and risks financial harm, including penalties issued to states who do not comply with the guidance.
The new USDA memo “attempts to rewrite those rules, ignoring Congress and threatening to cut off food assistance for people who are fully eligible under the law,” the attorneys general said Wednesday.
States also took aim at the USDA’s decision to publish the narrower guidance on Oct. 31, four months after the spending bill was signed into law.
States had just one day to comply with the narrower guidance, they noted on the call.
The guidance “imposes these errors on states with virtually zero time to implement them,” Bonta said.
