By Daniel Wiessner
Jan 14 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from withholding $80 million to administer Minnesota’s food stamp program while the state reviews the eligibility of 100,000 households amid claims of widespread fraud.
U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino, during a hearing in St. Paul, Minnesota federal court, said it was likely illegal for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to give Minnesota only 30 days, until January 15, to complete the review of its food stamp program, known as SNAP.
Minnesota sued after the USDA said it would stop covering half of the costs to administer the state’s food stamp program if it failed to meet the deadline. The USDA cited a broader scandal around the theft of federal funds intended for social-welfare programs in Minnesota.
Provinzino on Wednesday said the USDA had not explained why the expedited review was necessary to root out fraud and that the agency had flouted a federal law barring states from reviewing SNAP recipients’ eligibility more than once a year.
“USDA is asking the state to violate federal law, regulations, and the state’s own operational plan,” which had previously been approved by the agency, said Provinzino, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden.
The judge blocked the USDA from withholding the funding from Minnesota pending the outcome of the lawsuit, including $20 million for the first quarter of the year that the agency had said earlier on Wednesday would not be disbursed. The case does not involve the funding for monthly food stamp benefits that go to recipients.
The state has argued that the USDA’s conduct was motivated by Trump’s personal and political grievances with Minnesota and Democratic Governor Tim Walz, who has been a frequent target of the Republican president.
“This is part of an ongoing effort by the federal government to pummel our state,” Joseph Richie of the Minnesota Attorney General’s office said during the hearing.
Minnesota this week separately sued Trump’s administration to block a surge of immigration enforcement officers into the state, following the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
Brian Mizoguchi of the U.S. Department of Justice said during Wednesday’s hearing that Minnesota’s shortcomings in administering other federally-funded programs justified the USDA’s actions. He also said a preliminary ruling was unnecessary because the state could use its own funds to cover the loss of federal funding.
The SNAP program has been a focal point in Trump’s battles with Democratic lawmakers and state officials. During the 43-day government shutdown that ended in November, SNAP benefits lapsed for the first time and states were left to scramble to issue partial benefits with their own funds.
SNAP benefits are paid monthly to eligible Americans whose income is less than 130% of the federal poverty line. The maximum monthly benefit for the 2026 fiscal year is $298 for a one-person household and $546 for a two-person household. States are responsible for the day-to-day administration of the benefits.
(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Diane Craft)
