Attorney General Tong Opposes Latest Trump Attempt to Withhold Full SNAP Benefits

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11/07/2025

Attorney General Tong Opposes Latest Trump Attempt to Withhold Full SNAP Benefits

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 26 states opposing the Trump Administration’s request to block a court order to deliver full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to the millions of Americans relying on them. The federal government’s motion, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, comes after a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fully fund November benefits by today.

“Donald Trump is intentionally starving American families for political leverage. He has the funds. He has the authority. He even has a court order compelling him to fully fund SNAP right now. But he’s not because he thinks hurting families helps him politically, because he’s always wanted that money for tax breaks for billionaires, and because he just doesn’t care. We’re fighting in court on every front to free these funds as quickly as possible so that people can eat,” said Attorney General Tong.

Attorney General Tong and the coalition filed an amicus brief in Rhode Island State Council of Churches, et al., v. Rollins, et al., arguing that USDA has the money to fully fund this program and should do so immediately to prevent further harm to states. They argue USDA’s needlessly complicated calculation of reduced benefits has sown chaos in states and if they are forced to carry out this plan, it would create substantial, unlawful delays in getting benefits to recipients. The coalition also explains that the loss of SNAP benefits has a ripple effect on other state services, as increased food insecurity creates a strain on state safety net programs, and healthcare and educational institutions.

The attorneys general argue that due to the federal government’s resistance to meeting their legal obligations to fully fund the SNAP program, American families are struggling to meet their most basic needs. These harms to states will continue unless immediate full payment of SNAP benefits is issued. Attorney General Tong and the coalition urge the Court to deny the federal government’s motion for a stay.

Joining Attorney General Tong in filing this amicus brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, and the Governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

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Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

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