Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has obtained a court order that prevents the federal government from imposing financial penalties on states related to their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) operations. The order was issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and temporarily blocks efforts by the Trump administration to penalize states.
“The SNAP program is the country’s most important anti-hunger program, providing access to food for millions of families while supporting local grocers and merchants who are critical to our state’s economy,” Raoul said. “I’m pleased with the court’s action, which will ensure that SNAP programs in Illinois and across the country will be able to continue providing food assistance to those in need this holiday season.”
Attorney General Raoul joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in suing the Trump administration after it moved to restrict SNAP benefits for tens of thousands of lawful permanent residents. On December 10, new guidance was issued by the administration reversing its previous position and confirming continued eligibility for lawful permanent residents, including former refugees and asylees.
Despite this reversal, states were still threatened with millions of dollars in penalties due to claims they had not been given a necessary grace period to implement changes required by the new guidance. The court’s order now prohibits these penalties while litigation continues.
The lawsuit was filed jointly with attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
