“Emergency funding exists for exactly this kind of crisis,” Nessel said. “If the reality of 42 million Americans going hungry, including 1.4 million Michiganders, isn’t an emergency, I don’t know what is. It is cruel, inhumane, and illegal to hold back emergency reserves while families struggle to put food on the table. I want to be clear: this is a choice the Trump Administration is making, but I will continue doing everything in my power to ensure the federal government does not turn its back on the people it is meant to serve.”

Nessel stated despite the USDA’s claim of insufficient funds, the agency has access to billions in SNAP-specific contingency funds appropriated by Congress for this situation.

You can read the full lawsuit filing online.

Joining Nessel in the lawsuit filing are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The Governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania have also joined.