PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — More than 42 million Americans are expected to lose food assistance benefits starting Saturday due to the ongoing government shutdown. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware have joined 22 other states in suing the Trump administration to try to secure funds for those benefits.
The lawsuit aims to force the administration to use billions in contingency funds to pay next month’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said SNAP is a lifeline for nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians, and he accused the Trump administration of using food aid as a political bargaining chip.
The lawsuit argues the USDA has money already approved by Congress that can be used to keep the benefits running. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the USDA cannot use those funds.
“We have said all along that that $5 billion in contingency, we don’t believe we have the legal authority to distribute that,” she said. “We’re trying to follow the law here. We’ve used Band-Aids and duct tape all along this whole last month. And as we’ve said, it’s not going to be there on Nov. 1. It’s time to open the government.”
SNAP helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries using debit cards normally loaded each month by the federal government. The halt in benefits marks the first nationwide suspension of SNAP since its creation in 1964. Shapiro said it could overwhelm Pennsylvania’s food banks.
In Pennsylvania, where a budget stalemate has held up more than $25 million in aid to food banks, Democratic lawmakers are pushing for $60 million in emergency aid for food banks and Meals on Wheels programs.
Trump officials argue the only way out of this situation is to reopen the government. On Tuesday, a Republican-backed House bill that would temporarily fund the government failed to win Senate approval for the 13th time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.