WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), issued the following statement after Federal Judge Indira Talwani of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell in Rhode Island ruled on a motion made by a coalition 22 Attorneys General, including Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, and 3 Governors suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Secretary Brooke Rollins for unlawfully suspending the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP). The lawsuit filed on October 28, 2025 calls on USDA to use the nearly $6 billion in contingency fund to pay for SNAP benefits in November. Federal Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the USDA has the authority to use emergency contingency funds and gave the administration until Monday, November 3rd, 2025, to say whether it would partially pay for November benefits.
“This is a win for the millions of Americans who rely on SNAP to put food on the table. Never in the history of the program has funding for SNAP lapsed and people been left hungry. As the judge ruled, the Trump Administration and USDA have the money and the authority to transfer funds to cover November SNAP Benefits. This ruling is based on the fact that withholding the contingency funds violates federal spending law, and vulnerable people should not be left to suffer,” said Ranking Member Hayes. “I thank the 22 Attorneys General, including CT Attorney General Tong, and the 3 Governors for standing up for the most vulnerable in our communities. In the year 2025, in the United States of America, we have the ability to feed our children, and today’s ruling affirms that.”
In Connecticut, between 360,000 – 390,000 residents rely on SNAP. As the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee and Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture, Congresswoman has worked to find legislative solutions to combat hunger at home and abroad. Most recently, Congresswoman Hayes led nearly all House Democrats in a letter calling on USDA to use contingency funds and all legal authority to cover November SNAP benefits – mirroring the lawsuit brought forth by the coalition of attorneys general.