New York's Top Cop Sues Trump Administration Over Effort to Cut Food Benefits for Green Card Holders
The state of New York is taking a stand against the federal government over its latest attempt to strip food benefits from green card holders. Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit, joined by 21 other states including New Jersey, claiming that the USDA's guidance on implementing a Trump-era tax-and-spending measure unfairly excludes permanent residents who were previously granted asylum or admitted as refugees.
The agency's October guidance instructed states to cut off benefits for individuals with refugee status but not those who hold green cards. However, according to the USDA memo, these groups are actually listed as "not eligible" under SNAP guidelines. The move has sparked outrage among recipients, with James stating that no one should go hungry due to their immigration status.
The lawsuit seeks to block the federal government's actions and protect approximately 35,000 permanent residents in New York state from losing their benefits. Failure to comply with the guidance could result in steep financial penalties, including up to $1.2 billion in fines for New York alone. James is pushing back against what she calls "the federal government's shameful quest to take food away from children and families."
The move comes as many recipients are still reeling from the uncertainty caused by a similar disruption in benefits during the government shutdown earlier this year. The Trump administration halted SNAP benefits for nearly two weeks, only to have states ultimately sue the government to force payment. This time around, James' office has asked the USDA to correct its guidance, but so far, there has been no response.
The case highlights the ongoing tensions between state and federal authorities over immigration policies and the impact on social services like SNAP. As James notes, "USDA has no authority to arbitrarily cut entire groups of people out of the SNAP program."
The state of New York is taking a stand against the federal government over its latest attempt to strip food benefits from green card holders. Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit, joined by 21 other states including New Jersey, claiming that the USDA's guidance on implementing a Trump-era tax-and-spending measure unfairly excludes permanent residents who were previously granted asylum or admitted as refugees.
The agency's October guidance instructed states to cut off benefits for individuals with refugee status but not those who hold green cards. However, according to the USDA memo, these groups are actually listed as "not eligible" under SNAP guidelines. The move has sparked outrage among recipients, with James stating that no one should go hungry due to their immigration status.
The lawsuit seeks to block the federal government's actions and protect approximately 35,000 permanent residents in New York state from losing their benefits. Failure to comply with the guidance could result in steep financial penalties, including up to $1.2 billion in fines for New York alone. James is pushing back against what she calls "the federal government's shameful quest to take food away from children and families."
The move comes as many recipients are still reeling from the uncertainty caused by a similar disruption in benefits during the government shutdown earlier this year. The Trump administration halted SNAP benefits for nearly two weeks, only to have states ultimately sue the government to force payment. This time around, James' office has asked the USDA to correct its guidance, but so far, there has been no response.
The case highlights the ongoing tensions between state and federal authorities over immigration policies and the impact on social services like SNAP. As James notes, "USDA has no authority to arbitrarily cut entire groups of people out of the SNAP program."
... back in my day we didn't even have a system like this, food stamps were super limited and u had 2 show proof u needed it, but at least u knew u were gettin help 
now these policies are so confusing & unfair. permanent residents deserve the same treatment as citizens, it's not right that they're bein singled out like this 
35k ppl in NY alone are at risk of losin benefits? what's goin on here?! 
can we please just get some clarity on this already?! 
?! a dude who used to be our president is still trying to mess with ppl's food benefits just cuz they don't have birthright citizenship 
like, come on! these ppl are struggling already and now you wanna take away their only source of nutrition for kids? it's so messed up 
. can't we just agree on something other than making ppl's lives harder? 
like, what's the point of even having a social safety net if not to help those who need it most? 
It's not right that 35k ppl in NY are being put in this position. The lawsuit by AG James is a huge step forward, but I'm still hoping for some clarity from the USDA on this one... it's all too confusing! 
. the fact that 35k people in nyc are at risk of losing their benefits is just heartbreaking 
and i'm so fed up with the government trying to dictate how states handle social services 
I mean, 35k people are gonna lose their benefits because of this? That's like, my whole neighborhood is talking about how they're struggling already... now this? 
it's so unfair that these ppl are being threatened with food benifits just cuz they dont have american citizenship 
i mean whats wrong w/ having a green card? its like, u pay ur taxes and contribute to society, but now u gotta worry about losing ur benifits because of some outdated rule 
. Like, who's to say that these people aren't worthy of food benefits just because they're green card holders? It seems like a total waste of time and resources to even bother with all this paperwork 
. I mean, let's focus on the bigger picture here - people are already struggling to make ends meet without having to worry about some arbitrary rule or guideline 
I'm actually kinda impressed that NYC's top cop is taking a stand like this! It's crazy that some ppl think food benefits should be taken away just bcos someone has a green card... I mean, who doesn't need help sometimes? 
. I'm all for states pushing back against the feds and fighting for these people's rights 
It's like, what even is the point of having a system in place to help those people if we're just gonna take it away? 
The fact that 35k ppl in NY are at risk of losing their benefits is just heartbreaking 
. Who comes up with this stuff? "Oh, we'll cut off benefits for refugees but not for people who hold green cards"... yeah because that makes total sense 
. Mark my words, we're going to see some serious action taken soon. Stay tuned! 
