Refugees Could Lose Food Aid Under USDA Guidance, States Warn

Nov. 19, 2025, 8:25 PM UTC

Thousands of refugees and asylees could lose access to food assistance due to errors in new eligibility guidance the Agriculture Department distributed, a group of attorneys general in states with Democratic governors wrote in a Wednesday letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

The law enforcers from 20 states and the District of Columbia asked USDA to retract and amend “substantively flawed” guidance they received on Oct. 31 that suggested certain non-citizens residing in the US for humanitarian reasons would never become eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, which more than 41 million low-income Americans use to buy groceries. The ...

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