California Attorney General Rob Bonta has welcomed a decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota to issue a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) demand that Minnesota recertify 100,000 households for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility within 30 days or risk financial penalties and possible removal from the program.
Bonta, who leads the California Attorney General’s office as part of California’s executive branch and serves as the state’s chief law enforcement authority according to its official website, joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting Minnesota. The coalition argued that USDA’s requirement violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution’s Spending Clause, and is inconsistent with established federal-state collaboration under SNAP.
“The Trump Administration continues to let his petty, political agenda undermine a vital nutrition assistance program that provides a safety net for millions of Americans,” said Attorney General Bonta. “SNAP helps ensure children across the country do not attend school on empty stomachs, that seniors get the nutrition they need, and that working families have the ability to thrive. The USDA’s demand that Minnesota re-certify 100,000 households in only 30 days disregards decades of established procedures and timelines, without warning or good reason. It’s also impossible to fulfill, as the Trump Administration well knows. The Trump Administration needs to stop putting politics ahead of people and punishing states for serving their residents. I’m glad to see a court, once again, put a stop to its nonsense.”
SNAP has operated for over 60 years as a key tool against hunger in America, providing monthly food benefits to eligible households. In 2024 alone, it assisted more than 41 million people; over half were members of households with children while more than one-third included seniors or disabled individuals.
Typically, states manage SNAP recertifications throughout the year on a rolling basis rather than all at once. The USDA’s directive would require an unprecedented administrative effort from states like Minnesota—an approach critics argue could lead to mistakes and loss of benefits for eligible recipients.
The amicus brief filed by Bonta and other attorneys general contends that such demands undermine existing systems by requiring mass recertification in four large counties by January 15, 2026; force participation in pilot projects under threat of losing federal funding; and use unsupported claims of fraud as justification for policy changes targeting Democratic-led states.
Attorney General Bonta has previously challenged similar actions by USDA through litigation aimed at protecting SNAP recipients’ data privacy and ensuring continued funding during government shutdowns. He also contested guidance excluding certain non-citizens from eligibility—a move later reversed after legal action.
The California Attorney General’s office provides legal representation, criminal investigations support, consumer protections, civil rights enforcement and public data transparency initiatives statewide through resources like OpenJustice (source). It operates out of Sacramento as part of state government since its founding in 1850 (source).
In this recent legal effort regarding SNAP policy changes affecting Minnesota, Bonta was joined by attorneys general from Nevada, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.