Kris Mayes Demands Answers on Potential Food Assistance Cuts During Shutdown

Attorney General Kris Mayes and 22 other state attorneys general are demanding answers from the federal government after learning that the ongoing government shutdown could disrupt food assistance for millions of Americans.

The group sent a letter on Monday to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, raising concerns about a recent directive that could leave 42 million Americans, including 900,000 Arizonans, without their November food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

"Working families, seniors, veterans, and children across Arizona depend on SNAP to survive," Mayes said. "Any suspension or delay in benefits due to the federal government's failure to act would be a direct assault on the health and well-being of millions of Americans."

On October 10, the USDA sent a letter to state agencies warning that funding for November SNAP benefits may run out if the government shutdown continues. 

The agency instructed states to hold off on sending benefit payments to vendors, effectively freezing assistance that had already been calculated for families.

USDA

The attorneys general argue the USDA hasn't explained its legal authority to halt payments or why it isn't using emergency funds that appear to be available. They highlight at least $6 billion in SNAP contingency reserve funds that Congress set aside for situations like this, along with other potential funding sources.

The impact would be significant for nearly 40% of SNAP recipients are children under 18, while adults over 60 make up another 20%. In Arizona alone, almost 30,000 veterans have relied on the program in recent years.

The letter asks the USDA to answer several questions by October 27th, including whether contingency funds are available, whether the agency plans to use them, and on what legal grounds states were told to freeze benefit payments.

Mayes then criticized what she called a failure of leadership in Washington, explaining that the timing was also when open enrollment for health insurance began.

The letter was signed by attorneys general from 23 states and the District of Columbia and several states other, including California, New York, Illinois, and Colorado.