Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a preliminary injunction was granted in the case over the Trump administration’s attempt to impose unconstitutional and unlawful conditions on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, grants, cooperative agreements and mutual interest agreements.
“I appreciate the court granting this preliminary injunction because it means, while this case proceeds, vital funding will continue to go toward essential programs that provide nutrition support, rural firefighting capacity and ensure the safety of the national food chain,” Raoul said. “I will continue to stand with my colleagues to oppose the Trump administration’s attempts to force states like Illinois to comply with illegal conditions in order to receive funding that our most vulnerable residents depend upon. This coercion is unacceptable and we refuse to adopt the administration’s unlawful policies that attack our residents.”
In their lawsuit, Raoul and the coalition assert that the USDA has threatened harsh penalties if states do not comply with the agency’s vague and expansive funding conditions related to immigration; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and gender identity, which are unrelated to the purpose of USDA funding. The lawsuit asks the court to block the USDA from imposing these illegal funding conditions, including on critical USDA programs such as the school lunch program; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); and the Volunteer Fire Capacity Program. The programs provide basic, essential services for millions of Illinois’ most vulnerable children, working families, senior citizens and rural communities.
In Illinois, one in 20 residents receive food through TEFAP, which delivers nutritious, locally sourced, minimally modified foods across the state, including in rural areas where farmers and agricultural workers supply a large volume of Illinois’ agricultural products, yet too often have no access to nutritious food to feed their families.
Raoul filed the lawsuit with attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
