More than 20 states in the United States have filed lawsuits against the government for suspending food aid programs

The US federal government shut down for nearly four weeks on Tuesday (October 28), and a federal food aid program that tens of millions of people rely on is about to run out of funds. The 25 states ruled by the Democratic Party and the capital Washington filed a lawsuit against the federal government on the same day, demanding the use of federal emergency funds to maintain this project.

The US news website Politico reported that a lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Massachusetts, demanding the overturning of the federal government's earlier order that states stop distributing food aid benefits and requiring the Department of Agriculture to use all available funds. To ensure the continuation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP for short) in November.

Officials from various states involved in the lawsuit believe that the Department of Agriculture's intention to suspend the disbursement of funds for this project violates federal law.

Due to the government shutdown, the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program will run out of funds on Friday (the 31st). This project covers approximately 42 million people across the United States, accounting for about one eighth of the total population, and the majority of them have an income below the poverty line. Those receiving aid can use federal food relief funds to purchase food at designated stores, etc.

Massachusetts Attorney General Campbell wrote on social media, "The federal government has the money to continue funding SNAP benefits, but they choose to hurt millions of families across the country that are already struggling to make ends meet."

Xinhua News Agency reported that the US Department of Agriculture said in September that it intends to use federal emergency funds to keep the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" running during the government shutdown. However, the Ministry of Agriculture announced last Saturday (25th) that it would suspend this project and stop distributing food relief on November 1st.

A memo from the Ministry of Agriculture disclosed by the media shows that the federal government refused to use the approximately 5 billion US dollars of emergency funds to maintain the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program", citing that the law stipulates that emergency funds should be used for disaster relief and the like, and cannot be used for daily welfare expenses. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture also said that if the states temporarily share the cost of this project in November, they will not receive compensation from the federal government afterwards.

The Democratic Party strongly opposes this move. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said it was a "cruel act" for the government not to fund food relief programs.

Several state attorneys general involved in the lawsuit wrote to Agriculture Minister Rollins last Friday (24th), demanding that the Department of Agriculture provide a legal explanation for the delayed disbursement of funds and offer possible intervention plans before the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" is halted.