A federal court judge in Massachusetts June 5 issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump Administration from restricting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — SNAP — aid to states that do not cooperate with the Trump Administration’s anti-DEI policies.
U.S. District Court Judge Myong Joun issued the injunction and said he would follow up with a more detailed decision later, the Associated Press reported.
Twenty states, along with the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit March 23 against the US Department of Agriculture and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. In the lawsuit, states claimed that the USDA was unlawfully attaching new political and ideological conditions to the SNAP program, in line with the Trump Administration’s anti-DEI agenda.
The USDA is also threatening to withhold funds — for states who do not cooperate — from school lunch programs; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); and the Volunteer Fire Capacity Program, according to the lawsuit.
‘Unconstitutional roadblocks’
The lawsuit states that the USDA has threatened to withhold billions of dollars in funding unless states complied with broad federal policy requirements related to “gender ideology” policies and participation in gender-specific sports programs; immigration enforcement; and other DEI initiatives.
“USDA has now thrown unconstitutional and unlawful roadblocks between the programs created by Congress and the States that rely on them, threatening critical nutrition support, vital agricultural research, and the safety of our national food chain and communities,” read the lawsuit.
An estimated 38 million people, including families, children, the disabled and the elderly people currently use SNAP to buy food. Congress last year passed the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ — slashing $187 billion from the SNAP budget through 2034.
‘Harsher work requirements’
The bill also imposed new work requirements of 80 documented hours per month for people under the age of 64. More than 3.5 million people have already lost SNAP aid over the past 11 months, and 1 million more are expected to lose support as more states rolled out their work requirements June 1.
Black, Latino, and Native American households have a greater risk for food insecurity than the population at large, according to data from the Congressional District Health Dashboard.
Despite the Administration’s rhetoric, undocumented immigrants have never been eligible for SNAP food aid, or any other federal benefits.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta cheered Judge Joun’s temporary injunction. “Today the court granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump Administration’s latest attempt to weaponize essential funding for families and children,” he said, in a June 5th press statement.
“As the Trump Administration tries to use essential programs and billions in funding as leverage to advance their hateful, discriminatory agenda, California continues to fight to uphold the law and ensure that our communities can continue to access the funding they need to thrive,” said Bonta.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, who co-led the lawsuit with Bonta, said in a press statement when the suit was filed: These federal grant programs are a lifeline for families across Massachusetts. I know that firsthand, as my own family relied on these programs when I was growing up.”
“They ensure that children have access to meals at school, families can cover basic necessities, seniors can stretch limited incomes, and rural communities have critical support. These are vital investments in the health, stability, and wellbeing of our communities. Our lawsuit asks the court to block the USDA from imposing illegal conditions that would threaten funding for these programs,” said Campbell.
