Massachusetts and several other states are suing the Trump administration for suspending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food aid to low-income Americans. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, is led by Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. She accused the administration of “creating needless fear and harm” despite having funds to continue the program. SNAP, run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, serves about 42 million people nationwide, including over 1 million in Massachusetts. The USDA warned that due to the government shutdown, full benefits may not be paid in November, but the suit argues the agency still has billions in contingency funds to prevent that. Governor Maura Healey called the move “cruel” and urged Trump to “feed Americans,” while the White House blamed Democrats for causing the shutdown and using SNAP recipients as “political pawns.” The lawsuit says Congress intended SNAP to continue during a shutdown and asks the court to immediately restore benefits, calling the suspension unlawful and “arbitrary and capricious.”
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