California Attorney General Rob Bonta has co-led a coalition of 23 attorneys general and three governors in filing a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Trump Administration’s recent guidance on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November. The coalition submitted the motion to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenging conflicting instructions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding full SNAP benefit payments.
The USDA released new guidance on November 8 stating that sending full SNAP payment files was “unauthorized” and instructing states to “immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025.” However, many states—including California—had already begun disbursing these benefits following an order by the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island on November 6, which required the Trump Administration to fully fund SNAP benefits for November.
On November 7, after the Rhode Island court’s order, USDA told states it was working toward implementing full benefit issuances and would make funds available so that states could transmit issuance files to EBT processors. This morning, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted the coalition’s request to pause USDA’s latest guidance from taking effect and scheduled a remote hearing for later today.
Attorney General Bonta stated: “The Trump Administration does not want full November SNAP benefits to be issued. That should be clear as day by now. It is fighting us tooth and nail to stop vital food assistance from reaching more than 41 million low-income Americans. My fellow attorneys general remain undeterred. We have not shied away from a fight, and we certainly have no plans to start now,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We are back in court because President Trump and his Administration have issued public threats against states that have already issued full November SNAP benefits. If the Trump Administration is looking for someone to admonish, it need only look in the mirror.”
In their TRO motion, attorneys general argue that USDA did not explain why sending full benefit files was unauthorized while court orders were active or after USDA had assured states they were implementing those benefits on November 7. They also state that reversing benefit issuance would be difficult or impossible given that vendors had already loaded EBT cards with funds used by recipients.
The original lawsuit against USDA, Secretary Brooke Rollins, the Office of Management and Budget, and Director Russell Vought was filed on October 28 over what they allege is an unlawful suspension of November SNAP benefits.
Last night, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied USDA’s request for a stay pending appeal but left an administrative stay in place temporarily while USDA considers seeking Supreme Court review. The Supreme Court has asked USDA whether it will continue pursuing a stay and requested further briefings if so; USDA has confirmed its intent to file additional documents.
The TRO motion was co-led by Attorneys General Rob Bonta (California), Kris Mayes (Arizona), Andrea Joy Campbell (Massachusetts), Keith Ellison (Minnesota), as well as attorneys general from Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin; plus governors from Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
