California Attorney General Rob Bonta responded today to the announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will only provide partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November 2025. The decision follows a legal filing by the Trump Administration, which stated: “Per orders issued by the United States District Courts for the Districts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, [the Trump Administration] intends to deplete SNAP contingency funds completely and provide reduced SNAP benefits for November 2025.”
Last week, Attorney General Bonta co-led a coalition including 23 attorneys general and three governors in filing a lawsuit against the USDA and its Secretary, Brooke Rollins, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The suit challenges what they call an unlawful suspension of November SNAP benefits.
Attorney General Bonta said: “My fellow attorneys general and I took the Trump Administration to court because they chose to suspend November SNAP benefits. That decision was not only unlawful, as two federal courts ruled on Friday; it has also forced the 42 million individuals who rely on SNAP to scramble and figure out where their next meal is going to come from. Americans of all political persuasions have rightfully been outraged.”
He continued: “This morning, we learned that the Trump Administration has decided, at long last and in the face of growing public pressure, to partially fund November SNAP benefits. This is an important development, but the reality is that SNAP benefits won’t become immediately available to recipients. This lag is problematic and the result of President Trump’s failure to follow the law until ordered to do so. In addition, today’s announcement by the Trump Administration represents a moral failure. We are the richest country in the world, and the federal government could fully fund November SNAP benefits if it wanted to. Recent images and videos of long lines at food pantries nationwide highlight the gravity of the current situation — we must continue to care for those in greatest need. My office remains focused on holding the Trump Administration accountable for its illegal actions.”
A copy of this morning’s filing by the Trump Administration can be found here.
