Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Move to Withhold Minnesota Food Stamp Funds

The ruling blocks the USDA from withholding $80 million in SNAP administrative funding while a legal challenge by Minnesota proceeds.

A close-up shot of a SNAP EBT information sign is displayed at a gas station in Riverwoods, Ill., on Nov. 1, 2025. Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo

A federal judge on Jan. 14 stopped the Trump administration from withholding $80 million in administrative costs for Minnesota’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s tight deadline for reviewing the eligibility of 100,000 households was likely illegal.

U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino said during a hearing in Saint Paul that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) failed to justify why Minnesota needed to complete the review of recipient eligibility by Jan. 15, or face losing half its administrative costs. She noted the agency ignored laws limiting such reviews to once per year.

“USDA is asking the state to violate federal law, regulations, and the state’s own operational plan,” which had previously been approved by the agency, said Provinzino.

The injunction prevents the USDA from cutting the funds, including $20 million for the first quarter that was set to be withheld on Jan. 14, until the lawsuit is resolved.

The case focuses on administrative costs, not direct benefits to recipients.

Minnesota officials argued the USDA’s actions stem from political animosity by President Donald Trump toward the state and Gov. Tim Walz.

“This is part of an ongoing effort by the federal government to pummel our state,” Joseph Richie of the Minnesota Attorney General’s office said during the hearing.

Brian Mizoguchi of the U.S. Department of Justice argued that Minnesota’s issues with other federal programs justified the move, and the state could cover costs itself.

The move ties into broader allegations of fraud in Minnesota’s social programs. The USDA cited a scandal involving theft of federal welfare funds as a reason for the review.

The Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of SNAP nationwide, with around 118 arrests for fraud in one operation, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox News in Nocember 2025.

Rollins has highlighted “massive fraud,” including thousands of dead people receiving benefits and duplicate payments.

She said in a Nov. 2, 2025, post on X that 21 states refused to send data for review to the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The request was sent to all 50 states shortly after the Trump administration took over in January of that year, she said, and within the 29 states that cooperated, “massive fraud” was found in the form of thousands of cases of illegal immigrants and deceased individuals receiving benefits.

As a result of that audit alone, approximately 700,000 individuals have been removed from SNAP benefits, and more than 100 arrests have been made in connection with fraudulent SNAP benefits. 

Minnesota is among 21 states that have failed to share SNAP data.

SNAP serves Americans below 130 percent of the poverty line with maximum benefits of $298 monthly for one person and $546 for two. States handle daily operations.

Similar court actions have occurred, such as a California ruling blocking USDA access to SNAP data.

The USDA did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

Savannah Hulsey Pointer and Reuters contributed to this report.