Attorney General Tong Seeks Temporary Restraining Order to Block Trump from Demanding State 'Undo' SNAP Benefits

Press Releases 11/09/2025 Attorney General Tong Seeks Temporary Restraining Order to Block Trump from Demanding State "Undo" SNAP Benefits (Hartford, CT) - Attorney General William Tong shortly after midnight sought a temporary restraining order to block the Trump Administration from demanding that states "undo" Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits already paid out to millions of Americans. "Donald Trump wants us to take food off the plates of Connecticut families who finally just now got the chance to eat. Undo food stamps? Those funds were out the door on Saturday, and families were in the grocery stores all weekend. We're fighting this one to the bitter end," said Attorney General Tong. "Trump's actions have been unconscionable, unlawful and erratic, and states like Connecticut had a moral imperative and legal right to act quickly to get funds out the door. Trump never had the authority to deny SNAP, and he doesn't have the authority now to retaliate against states for doing our job." Connecticut and 26 states sued the Trump Administration on October 28 in Massachusetts federal court for unlawfully and arbitrarily suspending SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans during the government shutdown. Separately, a coalition of non-profits and municipalities, including the City of New Haven, filed a similar challenge in Rhode Island federal court. In both cases, the courts have ruled against Trump and issued rulings directing payments to resume either in part using contingency funds, or in full. The Trump Administration initially presented a series of unworkable bureaucratic calculations for awarding partial benefits, then later, in response to additional court actions, said they would issue full benefits. Then, after appealing to the Supreme Court and receiving a temporary stay of the lower court orders, the Trump Administration once again reversed course. Guidance has shifted seemingly by the hour, with millions of American families left unsure of how they would afford to eat. Relying on guidance at the time, Connecticut and other states quickly processed full SNAP benefits. In Connecticut, approximately 366,000 families then received their full November benefits on Saturday, averaging $324 per month and totaling $72 million. Then, late Saturday, the Trump Administration shifted course once again, issuing a memo ordering states not to seek full benefits. For those who already did, the memo stated: "States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025." The memo further threatened that "failure to comply with this memorandum may result in USDA taking various actions, including cancellation of the Federal share of State administrative costs and holding States liable for any overissuances that result from the noncompliance." The filing seeks a court order to block the Trump administration from carrying out these threats. Joining Attorney General Tong in tonight's filing were the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Minnesota, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, 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. Twitter: @AGWilliamTong Facebook: CT Attorney General Media Contact: Elizabeth Benton [email protected] Consumer Inquiries: 860-808-5318 [email protected] Twitter Facebook Email Print