NC Attorney General Joins Suit Over SNAP Assistance

Jeff Jackson, North Carolina's attorney general, has joined a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of Management and Budget over their refusal to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP during the federal government shutdown.

This is expected to stall food assistance starting Nov. 1 for 1.4 million North Carolinians, including about 600,000 children - despite the fact that the USDA has at least $6 billion in contingency funds.

"They have emergency money to help feed children during this shutdown, and they're refusing to spend it," Jackson said in a statement. "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."

Before the shutdown on Sept. 30, USDA officials assured North Carolina and other states that contingency funds could be used. The agency altered its position on Oct. 24, ordering states to suspend November and later payments due to the shutdown.

"The USDA must take immediate action to keep families from going hungry as it is required to do by law," said Gov. Josh Stein.

"We hope for a quick resolution so people in North Carolina, especially children, don't go hungry," said Dev Sangvai, secretary of health and human services for the state. "NCDHHS is ready to issue benefits as soon as federal funding is provided."

If SNAP remains unfunded, watch the NCDHHS website for updates and check endhungerdurham.org for a current listing of food banks and pantries in our area. You can also call 2-1-1 to seek additional resources.

Other states joining the lawsuit include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Washington, D.C., also has signed onto the suit.

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