Attorney General Neronha praises Court decision in SNAP case

Attorney General Neronha praises Court decision in SNAP case

Published on Friday, October 31, 2025

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today issued the following statement after a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts issued an order finding that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) contingency funds to fund the program during the ongoing federal government shutdown. The Court also found that if the contingency fund cannot fully fund the program in November, then the federal government must consider other, additional funding sources. USDA has until the end of the day on Monday to let the Court know whether it will fully or partially fund the SNAP program.

Specifically, Judge Indira Talwani stated that the federal government's decision to withhold SNAP benefits was "unlawful," while also opining during a hearing on the matter that the USDA's contingency funds can and should be used for SNAP recipients.

"There are few things more important than access to food, which is why today's order is so crucial," said Attorney General Neronha. "As Americans continue to struggle with inflation and the rising costs of housing, health care, and everyday items, we cannot allow the federal government to strip away a safety net program which feeds those who cannot afford to feed themselves. As a reminder, the USDA has billions in contingency funds so the 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP can continue to feed their families in the case of a government shutdown. This is a matter of life and death, and I'm grateful that these funds will soon flow to families that need them the most."

The order comes after Attorney General Neronha joined a coalition of 26 states in suing the Trump Administration for suspending SNAP benefits in a manner that is both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act. Today's order makes clear that USDA must use contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits. The federal Administration has indicated that the funds will not be enough to cover the cost of November SNAP for all 50 states, and the order puts the ball in the federal government's court. The federal government must tell the Court by Monday, November 3, whether it will utilize other funding sources beyond the SNAP contingency fund to ensure that 42 million Americans do not risk going hungry in November.

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