Platkin joins multistate coalition seeking to block Trump administration’s suspension of SNAP benefits
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has joined a coalition of 22 other attorneys general and three governors in filing an amended motion for a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration, seeking to prevent the suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for more than 42 million Americans.
The motion, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, asks the court to block a federal directive that would require states to reverse SNAP payments already authorized in response to an earlier court order in Rhode Island. According to the coalition, the Trump administration’s order attempts to reclaim full SNAP benefits that had already been distributed following the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) compliance notice.
Shortly after the coalition filed its motion, the District of Massachusetts granted a temporary restraining order and scheduled a hearing for later in the day.
“We will not stand by as the Trump Administration attempts to rip food away from the tables of New Jerseyans on SNAP benefits,” said Attorney General Platkin. “New Jersey SNAP recipients have access to their full November 2025 benefits, and we are fighting to ensure that they remain able to feed their families. We are grateful that the Court has already blocked the Trump Administration’s reckless and illegal attempts to revoke SNAP funds and look forward to making our case in court to permanently stop them from harming families in New Jersey.”
On November 7, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island ordered the USDA to make full SNAP benefits available to states. The USDA then issued guidance confirming it would comply with the order and process the release of full benefits. In response, several states, including New Jersey, authorized the release of those benefits.
However, one day later, after filing an emergency application with the Supreme Court to block the lower court’s decision, the USDA instructed states to reverse their actions and warned of possible financial penalties for failing to do so. The directive came after some beneficiaries had already used their full SNAP funds to purchase food, state officials said.
Joining Platkin in the amended motion are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Minnesota, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, along with the governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.
