Attorney General Mayes Asks Court to Compel Trump Administration to Deliver Full SNAP Benefits

PHOENIX – Attorney General Kris Mayes today joined a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia in filing a response to the federal government’s decision to only partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the 42 million Americans relying on it. Under the federal government’s current plan, SNAP benefits would only be partially funded using the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) SNAP contingency fund. 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. 

"Despite multiple court rulings, the Trump administration is holding SNAP funding hostage cruelly and illegally during the month of Thanksgiving," said Attorney General Mayes. "I'm proud to be fighting alongside 25 other states to help hundreds of thousands of Arizonans access their food benefits this month – including 25% of the kids in Arizona." 

In their brief, the coalition argues that USDA’s unacceptable delays and needlessly complicated calculation of reduced benefits is untenable and unlawful. It is clear that issuing full benefits is the only way to prevent further irreparable harms to states and their residents. As such, the coalition is asking the Court to issue a Temporary Restraining Order compelling the federal government to pay full benefits. 

The coalition’s brief comes as part of an ongoing lawsuit joined by Arizona 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.  
 

• In Arizona, 12% of the state’s population receives SNAP benefits, including 30,000 Arizona veterans. 

• That means nearly 900,000 Arizonans rely on SNAP benefits to help feed themselves and their families. 
   
• More than half of the families in two rural counties – Apache and Gila - rely on SNAP. In Navajo and Yuma counties, a quarter of residents receive SNAP benefits. In Santa Cruz and Gila, it’s more than one in five residents who receive SNAP.

• Most of these families would be out around $360, the average amount Arizona households using SNAP benefits were able to spend on groceries that month.  

• 1 in 4 children in Arizona rely on SNAP benefits– in fact 40% of SNAP funding in Arizona goes to feeding children.

• For every meal that a food pantry provides, SNAP provides 9.

• The economy is going to take a big hit without SNAP funding as well. Data has shown that in a weak economy, $1 of SNAP benefits increases economic activity and growth by $1.5 to $1.8.   

• Over 4,600 Arizona retailers are approved to accept EBT cards and could lose revenue.

A copy of the brief is here.