Special to IFN

RALEIGH – Attorney General Jeff Jackson is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of Management and Budget for refusing to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown and withholding food assistance for 1.4 million North Carolinians.

This would be the first time ever that SNAP benefits have been delayed, even though USDA has at least $6 billion in contingency funds from Congress to use in emergencies like this one.

“Nearly 600,000 children in our state could be without food in a few days because USDA is playing an illegal game of shutdown politics,” Jackson said. “They have emergency money to help feed children during this shutdown, and they’re refusing to spend it. I warned them last week that I would take them to court if they tried to hurt our kids, and today that’s what we’re doing.”

On the eve of the shutdown on September 30, USDA assured states that contingency funds could be used to continue funding the SNAP program. But on October 24, USDA reversed course and sent a memo to the states ordering them to suspend all November SNAP payments and any later payments.

USDA claims that this is because of the government shutdown. Yet, since the shutdown began, the same agency has used its authority to give out billions for other programs and move around funds to help fund nutritional benefits for infants and pregnant women.

SNAP monthly payments are about $175 per North Carolinian to help cover basic food and nutrition needs.

 Families who are already facing economic pressures because of the shutdown have been relying on food banks for support. Food banks are already straining to meet the demand after USDA cut $500 million nationwide in food deliveries in March.

The lawsuit alleges that the agency is violating the Administrative Procedure Act and the SNAP Act. Jackson is asking the court to require USDA to pay out SNAP benefits and cancel the USDA’s previous unlawful orders to the states. Jackson is also asking the court to immediately turn benefits back on.

Gov. Josh Stein said the lawsuit is warranted.

“The federal government is denying access to food for more than 1.4 million North Carolinians, including children, veterans, and people with disabilities,” Stein said. “The USDA must take immediate action to keep families from going hungry as it is required to do by law, and I thank Attorney General Jackson for standing up to secure these critical resources.”

Attorney General Jackson is filing this lawsuit alongside the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The Governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania have also joined.