Oregon sues Trump over SNAP freeze
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Oregon, along with two dozen other Democratic-led states, sued the Trump administration this week to force it to resume food assistance payments as the federal government shutdown drags on.
The big picture: More than 750,000 Oregonians rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Department of Agriculture has warned benefits will stop on Saturday.
- The coalition, led by the attorneys general and governors from 25 states and the District of Columbia, filed the lawsuit in Massachusetts, arguing that the administration is withholding up to $6 billion in emergency funds to sustain SNAP benefits.
What's inside: The suit alleged the USDA's move violates the Food and Nutrition Act, which requires "assistance under [SNAP] must be furnished to all eligible households" who apply.
- "It is States that operate SNAP on the ground and are forced into the position of trying to explain to needy, hungry people ... why they will not be receiving the benefits they have been promised, despite the availability of funds and the federal government's decisions to fund other programs during this shutdown," the filing said.
Zoom in: In Oregon, over half of SNAP recipients are in families with children and 41% are in working households, according to state data.
- Several restaurants, coffee shops and other businesses in Portland have offered free coffee, bread and meals to SNAP recipients who lose their benefits, per the Oregonian.
What they're saying: "This is the first time in our history that a president has used food benefits as a political tool," Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a social media post.
- "No one should go hungry because the government refuses to follow the law."
The other side: "Democrats chose to shut down the government knowing full well that SNAP would soon run out of funds," a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget told Axios.
- "It doesn't have to be this way, and it's sad they are using the families who rely on it as pawns."
The bottom line: Oregon food banks are already stretched thin, facing rising demand from earlier federal cuts, and they could soon face a dramatic increase in demand if a SNAP solution isn't reached by this weekend.