NYC group sues over SNAP work requirements

Audio By Carbonatix

(The Center Square) —  A New York City-based advocacy group is suing the Trump administration after it abruptly terminated the state’s work requirement waiver for food stamp recipients. 

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court Monday by the Urban Justice Center, alleges more than 100,000 New York City recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will be at risk of losing their benefits if the U.S. Department of Agriculture is allowed to terminate a work requirement waiver for able-bodied adults without dependents.

Under President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act, certain SNAP recipients are required to work or volunteer at least 20 hours per week to receive benefits. If they fail to meet the work requirement for three consecutive months, they lose benefits until they come back into compliance. New York was granted a temporary waiver, which is set to expire on Nov. 2, according to the lawsuit. 

"This sudden, premature, and unlawful action will harm plaintiffs and the proposed class," lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote in the 23-page complaint. "Those unable to comply with federal work requirements within that brief 30-day period will risk termination of the SNAP benefits on which they rely to feed themselves and their families." 

The group, which is represented by the Legal Aid Society, said the federal government's timeframe for complying with the new work requirements "will lead to administrative chaos and numerous administrative errors that puts them at risk of losing their SNAP benefits when the new work requirement rules go into effect in February.

"Even those who manage to comply by February may still accrue one or two countable months which will accelerate the termination of their benefits if they are unable to continue compliance at any time in the future," the lawsuit claimed. 

The legal challenge comes as nearly 3 million New Yorkers are expected to lose their SNAP benefits after Nov. 1 unless Congress can reach a deal to end the federal government shutdown. 

The Trump administration has no plans to tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through SNAP flowing into November. The administration blames Democrats, who say they will not agree to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on extending expiring Obamacare subsidies.

"Bottom line, the well has run dry," the USDA said in a statement. "At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats."

New York Attorney General Letitia James joined other Democratic AGs in sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins demanding “clarity” from the USDA on how it plans to proceed after alerting states that the SNAP payments will lapse beginning next week. 

Nationwide, more than 42 million people purchase fresh produce and other groceries through SNAP, according to the USDA. Eligibility for the public-benefits program, previously known as food stamps, is based on participants’ income and household size, among other factors.