Oregon is joining 13 other states, as well as New York City and the District of Columbia, in suing the Trump administration over a proposed rule change to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Asssitance Program, formerly known as food stamps.
The suit was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It alleges that the rule undermines congressional intent and violates the federal rulemaking process and that it would impose significant regulatory burdens on states and would harm states’ residents and economies.
The rule change, which tied the hands of states in how they could administer SNAP benefits, would have cut food assistance for an estimated 700,000 Americans, including about 20,000 Oregonians. The changes were slated to go into effect in April with the intent to push people into work.
The lawsuit was expected after lawmakers from Oregon decried the changes in December. Sen. Ron Wyden, alongside fellow Democrats Sen. Jeff Merkely and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer, said then that they believed that the rule change was unlawful and were expecting a challenge in court.
Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon is among the groups pushing back against the rule change.
“Taking away food from our communities hurts us all,” Hunger-Free Oregon director Annie Kirschner said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon upon the news of the lawsuit. “Trump’s proposed rule to put harsh time limits on food assistance for 19,000 Oregonians isn’t just cruel and counterproductive, but it’s also illegal. Congress considered this idea and soundly rejected it on a bipartisan basis in 2018. The president can’t just override that decision because he doesn’t like it. We thank Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum for standing up for Oregonians who live in places with high unemployment and face challenges finding full-time work. The health and well-being of our communities is at stake.”
Joining Oregon in the suit are California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and New York City.
Email Executive Editor Joanne Zuhl at joanne@streetroots.org.