PHOENIX — Arizona is joining 24 other states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration for “unlawfully suspending” food assistance during the government shutdown.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states on Friday that it would not pay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for November.
Watch a press conference with AG Mayes in the video player below:
Attorney General Kris Mayes said Tuesday the agency has contingency funds it could use to pay for benefits to nearly 900,000 Arizonans and tens of millions of Americans around the nation.
“I will not stand by as Arizona families go hungry,” she said. “Arizonans should not ever, ever be used as a bargaining chip while Donald Trump plays politics.”
RELATED: Who receives SNAP in Arizona? Breaking down the numbers
The lawsuit argues the USDA should use a federal contingency fund of about $5 billion and money from another fund to pay SNAP benefits.
“We have had shutdowns in the past, and we have always used this contingency fund to address those shutdown deficiencies, so there is absolutely no reason for the president to not allow those funds to be used,” Mayes said.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said her agency needs $9.2 billion to pay November’s benefits, far more than is in the contingency fund.
“We don't have the legal authority as of today to distribute anything less than that through the formulas, et cetera,” she said.
Rollins and congressional Republicans say the solution is for Senate Democrats to vote for the GOP bill to temporarily fund the government, ending the shutdown.
“But all it takes is a ‘yes’ on a continuing resolution to keep the government going and to send that money out to the states,” she said.
Mayes said USDA put out “multiple memos” about the contingency funding until changing course over a month.
“The agency is now lying, and the Trump administration is flat-out lying,” she said.
Mayes: Arizona should use Rainy Day Fund
Mayes also called on the governor and state lawmakers to take action, saying November’s benefits could be paid from the Arizona’s $1.6 billion Rainy Day Fund.
“Get off your butts, get into a special session and use some of that Rainy Day Fund to solve this crisis,” she said, saying the Republican-led Legislature could “get this solved tomorrow.”
A Gov. Katie Hobbs spokesperson told ABC15 in a statement Tuesday that the Governor’s Office “is considering all available options and examining creative solutions.”
But her office appeared cool to the idea of a special session, saying Arizona can’t afford to cover the more than $150 million in monthly federal food assistance.
“As Governor Hobbs has said, the Trump administration should act today and stop withholding the $6 billion in SNAP funding they have at their disposal,” the Governor's Office said.“It’s appalling that they are taking food off the table for the people of this state to advance their political games.”
“This is a Democrat-caused shutdown,” Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen said. “Arizona’s two U.S. Senators, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, voted to create this mess, and now Arizona families are paying the price. Arizonans deserve stability and leadership — not partisan gridlock. Our citizens should be calling on Kelly and Gallego to stop the obstruction and vote to reopen the government.”
