NCLEJ Condemns Trump Administration’s Illegal Suspension of SNAP Funding in Minnesota

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

• Contact: Patrick Fowler, Communications Strategist, NCLEJ | fowler@nclej.org

MINNESOTA – Last Friday, the Trump administration announced that it will immediately suspend over $129 million in annual benefits funding from the USDA to Minnesota—and to Minneapolis in particular. This figure includes funding for SNAP benefits, which over 440,000 low-income Minnesotans rely on to feed themselves and their families. Citing high-profile fraud by providers in other unrelated federal programs, the administration demands that Minnesota provide payment justifications for USDA dollars expended to restore funding.

In response, NCLEJ Senior Attorney Katie Deabler has issued the following statement:

“In a surprise to no one, the Trump administration is once again using SNAP as a political football in a wildly illegal and unprecedented move to punish its political opponents.

“This administration has no valid, legal mechanism to freeze congressionally approved federal funding to states, and it is not yet clear how they intend to do so. What is clear, however, is that over 440,000 low-income Minnesotans who rely on SNAP will once again face the fear and uncertainty that arise when their access to life-saving food benefits is interrupted.

“The USDA Secretary claims fraud in other programs is justification to withhold federal SNAP funding. But fraud is extremely rare among SNAP recipients. Data shows that when overpayments occur in SNAP, they are frequently the result of agency errors and unintentional mistakes by recipients, not intentional dishonesty. Additionally, the USDA has other legal mechanisms at its disposal to address legitimate concerns about fraud in the public benefits context. USDA is ignoring those lawful mechanisms and choosing instead to punish the Trump administration’s political opponents in Minnesota.

“From cutting federal SNAP funding over the next decade to ignoring court orders to fund SNAP during the government shutdown, this administration has repeatedly demonstrated its hostility to the social safety net and the people and families who rely on it. Baseless SNAP fraud allegations should be understood within this context — as another tool in the Trump playbook to dismantle federal public benefits and punish poor and working-class Americans.

“NCLEJ is coordinating with legal services organizations in Minnesota to monitor the impact of this illegal action and weigh potential responses.”

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The National Center for Law and Economic Justice is a nonprofit organization that advances racial and economic justice for low-income families, individuals, and communities across the country through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. Founded in 1965, NCLEJ fights to protect access to critical benefits like food stamps, Medicaid, and childcare, protects low-wage workers’ rights and safety, advocates for the rights of people with disabilities, and fights unlawful debt collection.