States Sue to Block Nov. 1 SNAP Suspension

A coalition of roughly 25–26 Democratic attorneys general and three governors, joined by states including Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado and Hawaii, sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Secretary Brooke Rollins, and the Office of Management and Budget seeking immediate court orders to stop a SNAP benefit suspension slated to begin Nov. 1 and to force release of roughly $5–6 billion in contingency funds. Plaintiffs say Congress appropriated those contingency funds for emergencies and that refusing to use them unlawfully withholds food assistance from more than 40 million people; the administration contends the funds cannot lawfully cover regular FY2026 benefits and are reserved for disasters. The lawsuits, filed in multiple federal courts and seeking temporary restraining orders, argue the administration’s action violates the Food and Nutrition Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. Plaintiffs warn a lapse — the first in SNAP’s roughly 60‑year history — would put tens of millions, including children, college students and low‑income workers (e.g., MN ~440,000; CO ~600,000; NM ~450,000; HI ~160,000) at immediate risk and strain local programs such as Head Start and WIC, while lawmakers remain deadlocked on funding. With the USDA refusing to reload beneficiaries’ SNAP debit cards as the shutdown continues, the courts have become the pivotal venue to determine whether emergency funds must be tapped to avert widespread hunger.