DOVER, Del. — Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Governor Matt Meyer announced Wednesday that the state has joined a coalition of 22 other attorneys general and three governors in suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Secretary Brooke Rollins over the suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. The lawsuit argues that USDA’s decision to halt SNAP funding is unlawful and threatens millions of Americans who rely on the program to purchase food.
SNAP serves more than 40 million people nationwide, including roughly 119,000 residents of Delaware each month. This includes approximately 60,000 families and 45,000 children, representing about 11 percent of the state’s population.
Jennings said halting SNAP benefits could overwhelm state food banks and leave thousands of Delawareans without food. “If SNAP benefits do not go out next month, our state’s food banks will be overwhelmed, and thousands of Delawareans will go hungry,” she said. “That cannot happen. The federal government has both a moral and legal obligation to prevent that from happening.” Governor Meyer emphasized that SNAP provides critical support for working families, children, and seniors. “With 60,000 Delaware households set to lose SNAP benefits on November 1, I stand with Attorney General Jennings and my fellow governors in urging the court to restore SNAP funding immediately and protect access to food for every family that needs it,” Meyer said.
The lawsuit notes that the federal fiscal year began October 1 without a congressional appropriation to fund the government. On October 10, USDA notified state SNAP agencies that if the shutdown continues, there would not be enough money to pay full November benefits for roughly 42 million recipients nationwide. The coalition claims USDA has access to contingency funds specifically designated for SNAP and has funded other programs during the shutdown, making the suspension of SNAP benefits both deliberate and illegal. The lapse in benefits could increase demand on state and local food banks, affect school and university meal programs, and harm businesses that accept SNAP payments. USDA has estimated that each dollar in SNAP benefits generates $1.54 in economic activity, meaning the pause could have broader economic effects.
While the federal government sets funding levels, states administer SNAP. The lawsuit argues that the suspension is arbitrary under the Administrative Procedure Act and violates congressional direction to continue SNAP operations even during a shutdown. The coalition plans to file a temporary restraining order asking the court to immediately restore benefits. Joining Delaware in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, along with the governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.
Attorney General Kathy Jennings
Photo: Delaware.gov
