In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield argued the Trump administration is permanently cutting off legal immigrants, such as people who came to the U.S. seeking asylum, from receiving their food assistance benefits.
Rayfield joined 20 other Democratic attorneys general in the lawsuit. It marks the 48th lawsuit Rayfield has filed against the Trump administration, including another filed earlier this week to force the government to return the U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter to Newport.
The latest lawsuit asks the court to block new guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Republican-backed “Big Beautiful Bill,” which passed in July, narrowed who qualified for the food benefits. Last month, the USDA sent a memo with new guidance to states saying that even those who entered the country through humanitarian pathways, including those seeking asylum and refugees who are now here legally, would be permanently ineligible for the SNAP benefits, even if they had become green card holders and legal residents.
Officials from the USDA said they would not comment on pending litigation. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor the White House returned an immediate inquiry seeking comment.
The multi-state lawsuit argues that federal law allows legal residents to be eligible for the food benefits if they meet certain requirements. Rayfield and the other attorneys general say the USDA memo with the latest guidance “illegally rewrites those rules and threatens to cut off food assistance for people who are fully eligible under the law.”
“It’s wild that we’re here the day before Thanksgiving,” Rayfield said in a statement. “We’re the wealthiest country in the world, and no one should go hungry. When this memo came out, we thought it must be a mistake. The law is clear, and this is not how you treat people.”
The lawsuit also argues the USDA is not giving states enough time to adjust to the latest guidance. Normally, states are given a 120-day period after new guidance is issued, according to a press release from Rayfield’s office. But the USDA has said states must comply immediately with the latest guidance.
“States have already begun implementing the statutory changes enacted earlier this year, but USDA’s abrupt and incorrect guidance now forces them to overhaul eligibility systems overnight,” the press release reads.
“The attorneys general warn that this will create widespread confusion for families, increase the risk of wrongful benefit terminations, erode public trust, and place states in an untenable situation where they must either violate federal law or accept severe financial liability.”
The latest lawsuit is one of several over SNAP benefits. Oregon also joined a multi-state lawsuit trying to force the Trump administration to continue funding the federal food assistance program during the federal government shutdown. The state also sued this summer when the USDA wanted to gather data on people who rely on the nutrition assistance program.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.