Attorney General Tong Statement on Trump Choice to Partially Fund SNAP and Weaponize Hunger for Political Gain

Press Releases

11/03/2025

Attorney General Tong Statement on Trump Choice to Partially Fund SNAP and Weaponize Hunger for Political Gain

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding the decision made today by the United States Department of Agriculture to use only contingency funds to partially fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the shutdown, furthering President Donald Trump’s cruel strategy to weaponize hunger for perceived political advantage.

After a coalition of 26 states sued the Trump Administration for its unlawful decision to suspend SNAP benefits, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts ruled Friday that USDA must use its contingency funds to provide benefits during the shutdown. USDA had until the end of the day today to report to the Court whether it would partially or fully fund the SNAP program, using additional available funds that have been tapped during prior shutdowns.

“Donald Trump is purposely and illegally starving American families for political leverage. We sued to force him to release these contingency funds—paid for by taxpayers and obligated by Congress to help Americans buy food at a time when grocery prices are already out of control. Because of our lawsuit, these dollars now will make their way to EBT cards, and that is important relief for the 366,000 people in Connecticut relying on these funds to eat. But this is not close to good enough. Donald Trump is weaponizing hunger and intentionally inflicting pain on American families. He can end this cruelty right now. He can make sure SNAP is fully funded right now. We are evaluating all legal options to fully free these funds,” said Attorney General Tong.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

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Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov