- A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from withholding $80 million in administrative funding for Minnesota's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, citing likely violations of federal law.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had threatened to cut funding unless Minnesota completed eligibility reviews for about 100,000 households by Jan. 15, a deadline the court said was unjustified and conflicted with existing regulations.
- The ruling preserves administrative funding, including $20 million for the first quarter, while the lawsuit proceeds, and does not affect benefits paid directly to SNAP recipients.
- Federal officials, including the DOJ, argue Minnesota's history of fraud and refusal to share SNAP data justifies heightened oversight, pointing to broader concerns about misuse of welfare funds.
- The dispute is part of a nationwide crackdown on SNAP under the Trump administration, which says audits have removed roughly 700,000 ineligible recipients and led to more than 100 arrests.
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from withholding $80 million in administrative funding for Minnesota's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) likely acted unlawfully in imposing an accelerated eligibility review deadline.
U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino of the District Court of Minnesota issued the injunction during a hearing in St. Paul on Jan. 14, stopping the USDA from cutting the funds while a legal challenge moves forward. The agency had warned Minnesota it would lose half of its federal administrative support unless it completed eligibility reviews for roughly 100,000 SNAP households by Jan. 15.
Provinzino said the USDA failed to explain why the state was required to meet the deadline and noted that federal law generally limits such large-scale eligibility reviews to once per year. She said the agency's directive conflicted with existing regulations and Minnesota's own SNAP operational plan, which the USDA had previously approved.
"USDA is asking the state to violate federal law, regulations and the state's own operational plan," Provinzino said from the bench.
The injunction specifically prevents the USDA from withholding the funds, including about $20 million allocated for the first quarter that was scheduled to be cut on Jan. 14. The ruling does not affect SNAP benefits paid directly to recipients, but instead concerns administrative funding used to run the program, including staffing, systems and oversight.
The lawsuit will now proceed, with the funding remaining in place until the court reaches a final decision on the merits of the case.
DOJ: Minnesota has a long history of fraud and data refusal
SNAP provides food assistance to Americans earning below 130% of the federal poverty line, with maximum monthly benefits of $298 for an individual and $546 for a two-person household. BrightU.AI's Enoch notes that the state's role in SNAP is to manage the day-to-day operations of the program, ensuring that benefits are distributed efficiently and fairly, while the federal government provides the funding and sets the guidelines.
However, federal attorneys argued that Minnesota failed to do so. Brian Mizoguchi of the Department of Justice (DOJ) argued that Minnesota's history of problems with federal programs justified heightened scrutiny and said the state could cover administrative costs on its own if necessary.
The dispute is tied to wider allegations of fraud in Minnesota's social service programs. The USDA has pointed to a high-profile scandal involving theft of federal welfare funds as one reason for demanding additional oversight. More broadly, the Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of SNAP nationwide, citing widespread abuse of the program.
Moreover, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a November 2025 post on X, formerly Twitter, that 21 states, including Minnesota, refused to provide SNAP data requested by the administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) shortly after Trump returned to office earlier in 2025. She said audits conducted in the 29 states that cooperated uncovered thousands of ineligible recipients, leading to the removal of approximately 700,000 people from the program and more than 100 arrests.
Watch as the Health Ranger Mike Adams and Steve Quayle discuss how the end of food stamps could trigger chaos below.
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