ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR ILLEGALLY SUSPENDING SNAP BENEFITS

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR ILLEGALLY SUSPENDING SNAP BENEFITS

October 28, 2025

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today joined a coalition of 26 attorneys general and governors in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Secretary Brooke Rollins for unlawfully suspending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps more than 40 million Americans buy food.

"At a time of increased costs for families, the Trump administration is making a deliberate, illegal and cruel decision to cut off access to food for nearly 2 million Illinoisans," Raoul said. "I will continue to stand with other attorneys general against the president's unlawful actions that threaten the separation of powers and the rule of law."

While the federal government funds and sets the monthly allotment of SNAP benefits, state governments are responsible for administering programs in their respective states. On Oct. 10, the USDA sent a letter to state SNAP agencies announcing that if the federal government shutdown continued, there would be insufficient funds to pay full November benefits for the approximately 42 million individuals across the country that rely on them. On Oct. 24, USDA sent another letter to state SNAP agencies suspending SNAP benefits as of Nov. 1.

Despite the USDA's claim of insufficient funds, Raoul and the coalition argue in their lawsuit that the agency has access to billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funds appropriated by Congress for use during an event like a government shutdown. In addition, the USDA has funded other programs with emergency funds during the shutdown but has refused to fund SNAP, leaving millions of the most vulnerable Americans without the assistance they need to buy food.

Raoul and the coalition highlight that the lapse in SNAP benefits will have dire consequences for the health and well-being of millions of Americans across the country who rely on the program to feed themselves and their families. The lapse will also put unnecessary strain on state and local governments and community organizations, as families increasingly rely on emergency services and local food pantries that are already struggling to fill a growing nutrition gap. It will affect school systems and college and university communities, where food insecurity will stand in the way of educating students. Raoul and the coalition also point out how suspending SNAP benefits will harm the hundreds of thousands of grocers and merchants that accept SNAP payment for food purchases across the country. The USDA has estimated that in a slowing economy, every $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.54 in economic activity.

In their lawsuit, Raoul and the coalition also argue that suspending SNAP benefits is both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act. They highlight that the USDA does not have the authority to cease SNAP benefits as Congress has already appropriated funding for the program. Raoul and the coalition also plan to file a temporary restraining order asking the court to immediately restore benefits.

Raoul was joined in filing this lawsuit by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. Also joining the complaint were the governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.