Judge rules in favor of lawsuit by groups, including Albuquerque, to save SNAP benefits
A U.S. District judge is forcing the federal government to release money for the federal SNAP program just a day after the City of Albuquerque and other local governments, charitable and faith-based non-profit organizations, small businesses, and workers’ rights organizations filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration.
"We took immediate action to challenge the illegal actions by the Trump Administration that would have resulted in draconian cuts to food benefits for Albuquerque residents,” Mayor Tim Keller said. “Tens of thousands of families, including children, seniors, and working parents depend on those benefits to put food on the table each day. We will continue to fight the Trump Administration on behalf of our community.”
The case challenges two unlawful actions by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): its refusal to use available funds to maintain SNAP benefits during the ongoing government shutdown, and its abrupt termination of existing waivers protecting part-time workers and job seekers from losing benefits in regions with few jobs. Together, these decisions threaten to cut off essential food support to more than 42 million people, including children, seniors, and veterans, beginning November 1.
The lawsuit argues that the administration’s actions violate federal law and the Administrative Procedure Act. SNAP has long served as the nation’s first line of defense against hunger and has helped stabilize local economies during crises. Yet the Trump-Vance administration has directed states to withhold benefits and dismantled established safeguards—without authority, justification, or notice.
Plaintiffs include municipalities: City of Albuquerque, New Mexico; City of Baltimore, Maryland; City of Central Falls, Rhode Island; City of Columbus, Ohio; City of Durham, North Carolina; City of New Haven, Connecticut; City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island; City of Providence, Rhode Island; charitable and faith-based nonprofit organizations: Rhode Island State Council of Churches; Amos House; East Bay Community Action Program; Federal Hill House Association; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center; The Milagros Project; the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN); New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG); United Way of Rhode Island; business and union organizations: Main Street Alliance; Black Sheep Market in Greenville, South Carolina; and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).