Mayes joins legal battle to block Trump admin’s latest attempt to avoid paying SNAP benefits

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes called for a federal court to deny the Trump administration's appeal, and get funding restored for SNAP.

BY JEFF VINTON

Nov 7, 2025, 1:51 PM Updated: 1:51 pm

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PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is continuing her push to get the federal government to resume funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps about 900,000 Arizonans afford food.

On Friday, the attorney general said she joined officials from 24 other states and Washington D.C. in asking a federal appeals court to reject an appeal by President Donald Trump’s administration. That appeal challenges a ruling that required the administration to fully distribute SNAP benefits for November.

The judge had given the administration until Friday to make the payments. However, the administration asked the appeals court to suspend any orders that call for it to spend more money than it has available in a contingency fund — about $4.6 billion — and instead allow for partial SNAP payments this month.

Typically, the federally funded program’s full monthly benefits cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion.

The court granting the Trump administration’s request would be unacceptable to Mayes, especially due to the timing.

“The Trump administration should stop holding 900,000 Arizonans’ food benefits hostage during the month of Thanksgiving,” she said in a press release.

Latest step in legal battle to get SNAP funding flowing

The amicus brief was filed in support of an ongoing case in Rhode Island and is in addition to a separate lawsuit against the Trump administration that Mayes joined in October after the administration announced that SNAP benefits would not be available in November.

Judges in both cases have ordered the Trump administration to use the contingency fund to pay for the program.

However, on Monday, the administration said it would only partially fund SNAP. That decision was rejected on Thursday by a federal judge in Rhode Island. The Trump administration appealed on Friday morning, saying the judge’s ruling was unconstitutional.

“This unprecedented injunction makes a mockery of the separation of powers. Courts hold neither the power to appropriate nor the power to spend,” the U.S. Department of Justice wrote in its request.

The attorneys for cities and nonprofits that originally filed the lawsuit in Rhode Island said the administration has plenty of money to pay for SNAP and that the court should “not allow them to further delay getting vital food assistance to individuals and families who need it now.”

By the numbers: SNAP in Arizona

In Arizona, 12% of the population receives SNAP benefits, including about 30,000 veterans. About 1 in 4 children in the state relies on the program, and about 40% of the funding goes toward feeding kids.

Nationwide, the program serves about 1 in 8 people, most of whom live at or near the federal poverty line.

The program provides a maximum benefit of about $300 per month to individuals and about $1,000 for a family of four, but many people receive less than that due to their income.

The benefits are accepted at more than 4,600 retailers statewide.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

If you are dealing with food insecurity or want to help those who are, the Arizona Food Bank Network website has a list of available resources, including a database of food banks, pantries and soup kitchens that serve people in need and accept donations. Additionally, donations can be made by texting “food” to 620620.