Media Alert: Western Center on Law & Poverty Partners with Impact Fund to File a Nationwide Class Action Lawsuit to Protect SNAP Recipients
November 4, 2025
MEDIA ALERT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — November 4, 2025
WHAT:
Western Center on Law & Poverty (WCLP) and Impact Fund, today filed a class action lawsuit in federal district court to protect Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients nationwide.
The case seeks to affirm that the federal government has a mandatory duty to continue full SNAP funding during any federal government shutdown.
WHO:
Plaintiffs are three California residents and CalFresh recipients—from Los Angeles County, Humboldt County, and San Joaquin County—representing more than 42 million people who rely on SNAP to feed themselves and their families.
WHEN:
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
WHERE:
U.S. District Court (Federal), California
WHY:
SNAP is a mandatory entitlement, like Social Security and Medicare, that Congress has approved by law—regardless of annual budget allocations. Yet during federal shutdowns, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has suspended and delayed SNAP benefits, jeopardizing access to food for millions of low-income households.
This lawsuit asks the court to affirm the federal government’s legal obligation to maintain uninterrupted SNAP benefits during shutdowns to all eligible individuals and families.
BACKGROUND:
The case parallels the team’s 2023 litigation challenging the suspension of federal SNAP funds during a previous government shutdown, Erdmann-Browning v. Vilsack
In 2023, WCLP and Impact Fund previously successfully sued to ensure that SNAP benefits remained available to eligible recipients during government shutdowns.
Two related lawsuits on the East Coast have ruled that the federal government must use contingency funds to cover partial payments—but those rulings do not guarantee full-ongoing benefits for all SNAP households.
QUOTE:
“SNAP is not discretionary. It’s a legal guarantee. When the federal government withholds food assistance, it violates the very purpose of the program and the law itself,” said Cori Racela, Executive Director of Western Center on Law & Poverty.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Antionette Dozier, Senior Attorney
Western Center on Law & Poverty
adozier@wclp.org / (310) 717-7909
Rebecca Miller, Senior Litigator
Western Center on Law & Poverty
rmiller@wclp.org / (404) 550-7852
Lori Rifkin, Litigation, Director
Impact Fund
lrifkin@impactfund.org / (510) 845-3473 ext. 326
Related Case Links. Legal Filings.
2025
Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Rhode Island State Council of Churches et al v. Rollins et al
2023