HARRISBURG – Gov. Josh Shapiro took legal action to demand the USDA use Congressionally-appropriated contingency funding to pay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits for November amid the ongoing federal government shutdown and ensure nearly two million Pennsylvanians receive the food assistance they need. Shapiro joined a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump Administration for unlawfully suspending SNAP. The lawsuit argues that while normal appropriations for SNAP have lapsed due to the failure of passing a federal budget, alternative funds do exist and must be used to fund the program. Earlier this month, the USDA directed the PA Department of Human Services and other states to pause November SNAP benefits due to the federal shutdown.
