Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Acting Associate Administrator for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), demanding clarity and additional information on how USDA plans to proceed after alerting states that funding for critical nutrition programs may lapse in the near future because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. In their letter, Raoul and the coalition detail the grave harm faced by children, seniors, disabled persons, veterans and other vulnerable individuals who rely on food assistance for their daily meals if the USDA refuses to pay SNAP benefits. In their letter, Raoul and the attorneys general argue the federal government should use these contingency and Section 32 funds to continue providing SNAP benefits rather than direct states to suspend already calculated allotments. Raoul and the attorneys general further argue that if carried out, USDA’s directive will cause significant hardship for the 42 million Americans who depend on SNAP to feed themselves and their families.