Johnson Blasts Dems Over Lawsuit Seeking Data On Illegal Aliens From USDA

House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a forceful rebuke on Thursday after learning that a coalition of Democrat-controlled states is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for requesting data on how many illegal immigrants are receiving taxpayer-funded benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Standing alongside USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, Johnson said Senate Democrats are choosing political spectacle over the well-being of American families as the government shutdown, driven by their refusal to support a clean funding bill, continues into its 31st day.

“They sued the USDA for asking them, simply asking them to tell them how many illegal aliens are on the programs in California, New York, and these other states,” Johnson said. “They sued them. You need to take account of what people are doing here in each party, the leaders and the President of the United States.”

Johnson noted that Democrats blocked 14 separate votes to pass a clean continuing resolution that would have reopened the government and reinstated SNAP funding, which formally expired earlier this week. He argued Democrats intentionally “manufactured a crisis” to exploit the shutdown for political leverage, while ordinary families are facing the strain of rising food costs.

“We are trying to get government to work more efficiently and effectively for the people, and we are getting stopped and hindered by political games by Democrats,” Johnson said.

The lawsuit—led by Maine’s Democratic governor and joined by 21 Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia—accuses the USDA of unlawfully causing the lapse in benefits. The legal challenge includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Governors from Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania have also signed onto the challenge.

These states claim the USDA has sufficient contingency funds available to continue SNAP payments without congressional approval. But USDA officials dispute this, explaining that federal law only permits the release of those funds if the underlying program is actively funded—something Democrats have repeatedly refused to support.

As stated clearly on the USDA website: “Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.”

Secretary Rollins reinforced the administration’s position, noting the agency had already issued two formal warnings to states in October regarding the consequences of failing to pass a funding bill.

“There is a contingency fund at USDA,” Rollins said. “But it is only allowed to flow if the underlying program is funded.” She emphasized that the agency is operating within the law, not engaging in partisan maneuvering.

On Friday, however, U.S. District Judge John McConnell—an Obama-era appointee—ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore SNAP payments using emergency funds, mirroring a ruling days earlier by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts. Talwani asserted the USDA could access $5.3 billion in reserve funds to maintain benefits.

But the administration cautions that even combined emergency reserves fall short of the $9.2 billion required to cover November payments. Without congressional action, officials warn that funding will again lapse.

The White House maintains the position that Congress must act to reopen the government and fully restore the program, rather than relying on shifting legal maneuvers and temporary judicial directives.