Attorney General Ford Responds to USDA Status Report to Partially Fund SNAP Benefits

Carson City, NV – Today, Attorney General Ford issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) status report on issuing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

“The USDA has filed a status report with the court stating it will use billions in contingency funds to partially fund SNAP. Those are dollars the agency was already obligated to use, and Nevadans should never have had to rely on a lawsuit to make that happen. Multiple courts have also made clear that the USDA is legally authorized to tap other funds so that SNAP is fully funded this month.

This needless delay has caused unnecessary hardship and anxiety for Nevadans who depend on SNAP to feed their families.

My office continues to evaluate the next legal steps to protect Nevada families, but the responsibility here is clear: the USDA should use every available dollar and every tool at its disposal to ensure SNAP is funded, now and going forward.”

The USDA’s status report comes after U.S. District Court Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. ruled on Friday, Oct. 31 that food assistance benefits provided under SNAP must be paid.

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