California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a multistate amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, urging the court to deny a request from the Trump Administration to block a lower court’s order that requires full funding of November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The move comes after the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must provide full SNAP benefits for November. The Trump Administration responded by filing an appeal and seeking an emergency pause on the lower court’s order.
Attorney General Bonta stated, “What the Trump Administration is doing is outrageous. It is fighting our efforts to fully fund November SNAP benefits, which prevent more than 41 million low-income Americans from going hungry. We are the richest country in the world, and despite the government shutdown, the Trump Administration can fully fund November SNAP benefits. But it is choosing not to. Intentionally. Deliberately. Cruelly,” said Attorney General Bonta. “My fellow attorneys general and I refuse to stand idly by. We urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to reject the Trump Administration’s efforts to take food off low-income Americans’ tables.”
The amicus brief emphasizes that USDA has sufficient funds available and should act immediately to prevent further harm to states and their residents who rely on these benefits each month. According to Bonta and other state officials, complicated federal guidance about reduced benefits has caused confusion among states and disrupted planning for social services programs.
In California, some recipients have begun receiving their SNAP benefits following the district court’s decision, but those payments may be at risk if federal authorities succeed in blocking enforcement of that order.
On October 28, Bonta co-led a coalition of 23 attorneys general and three governors in filing a lawsuit against USDA, Secretary Brooke Rollins, and Director Russell Vought over what they described as an unlawful suspension of November SNAP benefits. Two federal district courts have since determined that suspending those benefits was unlawful.
Earlier this week, Bonta criticized partial distribution of November SNAP funds by federal officials despite their ability to provide full assistance as required by law.
The case in Rhode Island was brought forward by local governments, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, and workers’ rights groups who argue that reducing or delaying SNAP payments creates broader impacts on state-run safety net programs, healthcare providers, and schools.
A copy of the amicus brief can be found here.
