Attorney General Ellison asks court to compel Trump Administration to fully fund SNAP benefits for hungry Americans during shutdown
Joins coalition of 26 states in asking for temporary restraining order after Trump Administration says it will fund only a fraction of SNAP benefits for November, leaving 440,000 Minnesotans still hungry
In related case, a Rhode Island court late today ordered Trump Administration to fully fund SNAP nationwide; AG Ellison and coalition asking court in their case to rule the same
November 6, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general and three governors in filing a response to the federal government’s decision to only partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the 42 million Americans relying on it, including 440,000 Minnesotans. The Trump Administration has said it would fund only a fraction of the amount needed for SNAP benefits in November, by using United States Department of Agriculture’s SNAP contingency fund, despite the court ruling last Friday that USDA can legally fully fund SNAP during the federal government shutdown. The coalition argues that the federal government has created chaos and delay with the roll-out of partial benefits, has the money to fully fund the program, and is legally required to do so.
In the brief filed today, Attorney General Ellison and the coalition argue that USDA’s unacceptable delays and needlessly complicated calculation of reduced benefits is untenable and unlawful. Issuing full benefits is the only way to prevent further irreparable harm to states and their residents. As such, Attorney General Ellison and the coalition are asking the court to issue a temporary restraining order compelling the federal government to pay full benefits.
“Two courts have already ordered Donald Trump and his administration to pay SNAP benefits, yet they keep finding baseless reasons not to. I’m pleased one court has already ruled they must do so, and we are asking the court in our case to rule the same,” Attorney General Ellison said.
“Trump’s claim that it would be his ‘honor’ to fully fund SNAP is once again revealed as a lie. Indeed, as the clock was ticking down for SNAP benefits to run out last week, Trump held an outlandish, Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party at Mar-A-Lago, where his and his billionaire friends’ excess was on garish display — while 440,000 Minnesotans and 42 million Americans were worrying how they would even eat. Donald Trump cares absolutely nothing for hungry Americans,” Attorney General Ellison added.
In a parallel case, a federal court in Rhode Island late today ordered USDA to pay full SNAP benefits. This order is the same as the one that Attorney General Ellison and the coalition asked the court today to issue in their case.
Approximately 440,000 Minnesotans rely on SNAP benefits every month to put food on the table: this includes about 180,000 children, 67,000 seniors, and 52,000 people with disabilities.
The coalition’s brief comes as part of an October 28 lawsuit that Attorney General Ellison co-led against the Trump Administration for suspending SNAP benefits in a manner that is both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.
