These are the states suing the Trump Administration over SNAP: The coalition filing the lawsuit

Starting Saturday, around 42 million recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits could stop receiving the financial assistance to buy food. The US Department of Agriculture previously said that there were funds available but recently changed their webpage to state that “the well has run dry,” and that the agency will not tap into emergency funds.

In response, Democratic attorneys general and governors from the District of Columbia and 25 states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in a federal court in Massachusetts. They claim that the “Suspending SNAP benefits in these circumstances is both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.”

If payments are allowed to lapse, it will be the first time they have been delayed since the program’s inception. The plaintiffs declare in the court filing asking the court to intervene that the decision to stop payments “is irreparably harming” their states and trust in the program.

Which states are suing the Trump administration?

Along with the District of Columbia, the states that have joined the lawsuit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

These states represent over 25 million people who receive SNAP benefits. Nationally, over 62% of SNAP participants are in families with children while more than 37% are households with members who are older adults or disabled according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The average benefit per person in 2024 was roughly $6.20 per day. SNAP payments help local economies as well according to USDA data, with every dollar of SNAP benefits generating $1.50 in economic activity.

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