Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is co-leading a coalition of 22 attorneys general and three governors in filing a lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture for suspending SNAP due to the ongoing government shutdown.

On Oct. 10, the USDA sent a letter to SNAP agencies saying that if the shutdown continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay for November.

Ellison argues that the USDA has access to billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funds already appropriated by Congress. A spokesperson from Ellison’s office stated, “It is clear the federal government is making a deliberate, illegal, and inhumane choice not to fund the crucial SNAP program.”

The lawsuit cites the USDA’s funding lapse plan released in September 2025, which states:

“Core programs of the nutrition safety net, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)… shall continue operations during a lapse in appropriations, subject to the availability of funding.”

“Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown.”

The coalition is also seeking a temporary restraining order to block the USDA from halting SNAP funding while this lawsuit proceeds.

“It is hard to be shocked by the cruelty and illegality of the Trump administration anymore, yet I am shocked that Donald Trump is deliberately allowing 440,000 Minnesotans to go hungry,” said Attorney General Ellison. “Congress put a rainy-day fund in place so nutrition support could continue during a government shutdown, yet despite that clear Congressional intent, Trump’s USDA is refusing to tap into that fund. It is a disgrace to the presidency that Donald Trump is using hungry children throughout Minnesota as bargaining chips in the fight over his government shutdown. His actions aren’t just cruel, though; they are unlawful. It’s my job to help Minnesotans afford their lives, and today that means taking the Trump administration to court to help feed people in need.”

SNAP helps more than 40 million Americans buy food. 440,000 Minnesotans receive SNAP benefits every month, including 180,000 children and about 67,000 seniors.

Ellison is joined by the the attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin; and the Governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.