Rhode Island's Peter Neronha has joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in suing the Trump administration for placing illegal conditions on billions of dollars in USDA funding.
Neronha and the coalition say the USDA has threatened harsh penalties if states don't comply with the agency's conditions relating to immigration, diversity, equity and inclusion - which are unrelated to the purpose of the funding.
The lawsuit asks the court to block USDA from imposing the illegal conditions on critical programs including school lunches, SNAP, WIC and other programs.
“This President would rather Americans go hungry than disagree with him politically,” said Attorney General Neronha. “As this Administration has attempted to do in the recent past, and failed, they are once again trying to make federal funding for essential services contingent on political capitulation. This was plainly illegal when they tried to do it with funding for transportation, emergency preparedness, and other essential areas, and it is plainly illegal here. Millions upon millions of Americans struggle with food insecurity and rely on this funding to feed themselves and their families. They cannot and will not impose illegal conditions on this funding; we will make sure of it.”
Neronha says the "President would rather Americans go hungry than disagree with him politically."
(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP / Getty Images