Injunction pauses ‘unconstitutional’ USDA conditions for SNAP, WIC funding to Virginia, other states
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced Thursday that a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on June 5 amid a multi-state lawsuit challenging “vague, extraneous and unreasoned conditions” to how the U.S Department of Agriculture issues funding to states.
“As Virginians face a growing cost crisis, President Trump is politicizing funding for critical USDA programs that help feed vulnerable children, hardworking families, senior citizens and rural communities,” Jones said in a statement, noting that nearly one million Virginians are facing hunger and rely on programs like SNAP and WIC, which are funded by the USDA.
As part of its 2026 conditions, states receiving USDA grants must certify that they don’t operate “any programs that advance or promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” do not “promote gender ideology” and that they do not permit funding disbursement to undocumented immigrants.
Countering this, Virginia, 20 other states and the District of Columbia sued in March, stating they believe the impositions for compliance are unclear and unconstitutional.
The injunction means that these conditions will not apply as the lawsuit continues to advance.
Federal lawyers said in court filings that the new requirements would “help promote the sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars, strengthen USDA’s control and oversight of obligated funds, and ensure that grant recipients comply with federal laws, regulations and policies.”
About 850,000 Virginians (and millions of people nationwide) use SNAP to help them purchase their groceries.
USDA is also the federal umbrella agency for other social services like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and the Volunteer Fire Capacity Program.
With one in eight Virginians facing hunger, Jones’ office called the USDA conditions “unconstitutional,” and Jones pledged to “keep fighting for these crucial resources and the people who depend on them.”
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