A federal judge in Minnesota has granted a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration, protecting food assistance benefits for more than 440,000 Minnesotans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to feed themselves.
The ruling blocks the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dec. 16 directive that would have required the state of Minnesota to interview SNAP recipients in-person by January 16 to verify their eligibility for the program. Failure to comply would have cut off federal funding for the food assistance program to SNAP recipients in the state.
State Attorney General Keith Ellison and a coalition of 21 attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the USDA on Dec. 23, arguing that the Trump administration’s mandate is unlawful and would risk exposing sensitive personal information of SNAP recipients. Ellison said he’s pleased with the court’s decision.
“Before any of us in the state are Republicans or Democrats, we are Minnesotans,” Ellison said in a news release. “It should shock and disgust us that this president is trying to take food off the table of half a million of our neighbors.”
Four Minnesota counties were subjected to the order—Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington and Wright—and the federal agency demanded that program administrators turn over detailed information on all household members, including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, residential and mailing addresses, and immigration and citizenship status.
During a hearing this week to determine whether the USDA had the authority to withhold Minnesota’s SNAP funding, USDA officials acknowledged that they had already cut off administrative funds to the state. The U.S. District Court ruling Wednesday also blocked that action and restores the funding.
In Minnesota, about 440,000 people receive SNAP benefits every month, including about 180,000 children, 70,000 senior citizens, and 50,000 adults with disabilities.
Waiting and preparing
The recertification push by the USDA was in response to allegations of widespread fraud within the program, though the federal agency hasn’t provided any evidence to support the accusation. Immigration advocates also worried about the data collection that could be used to target immigrants for deportation.
In 2024, the state reported an 8.9 percent SNAP error rate, which is about two points below the national average of 10.93 percent and lower than 33 other states.
Some nonprofit groups are calling out what they say is a concerning trend of politicization within the USDA, which they say is targeting Minnesota and other Democratic-led states, threatening to withhold funding for food programs, farmers and rural communities.
The Minneapolis-based Institute for Trade and Agricultural Policy noted that these types of attacks set a dangerous precedent.
“I can’t overstate how unusual this is,” said Ben Lilliston, director of rural strategies at the institute. “The Department of Agriculture’s job is to really administer a whole host of programs with money that’s been appropriated by Congress. So, it’s not their job to make threats or withhold money to certain states over others. It really is to treat everyone equally. …Their job is to administer the programs the best they can.”
Minnesota is one of only about 10 states in which county governments administer SNAP benefits, not the state. Since the prolonged federal government shutdown in October and November of last year, counties have faced increased workloads and administrative costs.
Many Minnesota counties had to raise their property taxes in order to cover the expenses from the changes, according to the Association of Minnesota Counties.
Meanwhile, county officials are encouraging residents to keep applying for SNAP benefits so their applications can continue to get processed. In Blue Earth County, Emily Mumford, financial assistant supervisor for the county’s Human Services department, said they’re trying to navigate the uncertainty.
“We’ve been concerned about the possibility of that request as things continue to unfold and as we keep getting new information from USDA, but right now we’re just waiting,” Mumford said. “We’re trying to get as many applications as we can from what we’ve currently received, processed, and people are still able to apply. We’re still able to approve benefits, and we’ll continue to do so until we get new guidance.”
