Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday joined leaders from 24 other states and the District of Columbia in challenging the Trump administration over its decision to suspend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The shutdown, now on day 28, is a standoff between the GOP and Democrats over the extension of expiring tax credits that makes health insurance cheaper for millions of Americans, and reversals of Trump’s cuts to Medicaid as well as spending cuts to government health agencies.
“The (SNAP) program provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being,” the governor’s office said.
“Our president should be focused on fighting hunger, not causing it – yet the unlawful suspension of SNAP benefits is going to case more than 40 million Americans and almost 600,000 Kentuckians – many of which are children – to go without food,” Beshear said. “My faith teaches me that food is lifegiving and meant to be shared. From the miracle of fishes and loaves to the Last Supper, we are called to feed and care for each other, and the Trump administration prohibiting SNAP benefits is wrong.”
On October 24, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent a letter to state SNAP agencies saying it was suspending all November 2025 benefit payments for the approximately 42 million individuals across the country that rely on them. The USDA said that the suspension will continue until sufficient federal funding is provided.
“Despite USDA’s claim of insufficient funds, the agency has access to billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funds appropriated by Congress for this very purpose,” the governor’s office said. “Furthermore, USDA has funded other programs with emergency funds during this shutdown but has refused to fund SNAP.”
For updates, Kentuckians can visit the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) website or their Self-Service Portal (SSP) account.
Joining Beshear in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. The governors of Kansas and Pennsylvania also joined.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
