Gov. Beshear Challenges Trump Administration Over Suspension of SNAP Benefits

Kentucky joins 24 states and DC demanding funding be restored.

(Frankfort, Ky.) - On Tuesday, Governor Andy Beshear joined leaders from 24 other states and the District of Columbia in challenging the Trump administration over its decision to suspend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being, due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.

“Our President should be focused on fighting hunger, not causing it – yet the unlawful suspension of SNAP benefits is going to case more than 40 million Americans and almost 600,000 Kentuckians – many of which are children – to go without food,” said Gov. Beshear. “My faith teaches me that food is lifegiving and meant to be shared. From the miracle of fishes and loaves to the Last Supper, we are called to feed and care for each other, and the Trump administration prohibiting SNAP benefits is wrong.”

On October 24, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent a letter to state SNAP agencies saying it was suspending all November 2025 benefit payments for the approximately 42 million individuals across the country that rely on them and that the suspension will continue until sufficient federal funding is provided.

Despite USDA’s claim of insufficient funds, the agency has access to billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funds appropriated by Congress for this very purpose. Furthermore, USDA has funded other programs with emergency funds during this shutdown but has refused to fund SNAP.

In Kentucky, SNAP recipients can continue using current benefits as normal. For updates, Kentuckians can visit the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) website or their Self-Service Portal (SSP) account. Official DCBS notifications, text messages and emails will also be shared with news as available.

Joining Gov. Beshear in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. The Governors of Kansas and Pennsylvania also joined.