A federal judge has ruled in favor of states that filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump Administration from eliminating food assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The federal plan would have prevented nearly 700,000 Americans, including 200 Vermont households, from participating in SNAP, also known as 3Squares Vermont.
The lawsuit challenged a rule limiting states’ ability to extend benefits beyond a three-month period for certain adults.
The court invalidated the entire rule, finding it “radically and abruptly alters decades of regulatory practice.”
Democratic state Attorney General T.J. Donovan expressed his satisfaction with the ruling, noting that the program has been” repeatedly under attack by the Trump Administration.”