21 states sue Trump admin over USDA funding conditions

(CN) — A 21-state coalition filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday to protect billions in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding from being held hostage by “ideological” and “vague” mandates.

The states, in the 81-page-complaint filed in federal court in Massachusetts, challenge the USDA’s new 2026 conditions forcing states to comply with certain policy requirements, or risk losing funding.

The 20 Democrat-led states, along with the District of Columbia, say the administration is weaponizing agricultural and food-assistance funding to force its agenda onto those not already in line.

“The federal government cannot hold critical funding hostage to force states to comply with vague, ideological directives,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a press release Monday. “These new conditions put essential programs at risk and cause chaos for states that rely on this funding to feed families, support farmers and keep communities safe.”

According to the states, USDA and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins have taken steps to impose a set of “extraneous and unreasoned conditions” on all programs, grants and agreements under its new terms and conditions for federal awards.

The new conditions require states to certify compliance with “all applicable federal anti-discrimination laws, regulations and policies,” and prohibits grant recipients from using funds to “promote gender ideology” — including directing funds toward programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.

The states claim these directives fail to define what specific activities are prohibited or how to actually comply with such broad mandates — arguing no real guidance is shown beyond a general alignment with the administration’s existing political stances.

Trump has made his position clear on stated “DEI” and gender identity policies — issuing two executive orders on his first day in office directing his administration to terminate all diversity programs and stating that it is the “policy of the United States” to recognize male and female as the only two sexes, among other orders.

The USDA’s 2026 conditions also prohibit funding towards programs that “allow illegal aliens to obtain taxpayer-funded benefits,” or provide any incentives for illegal immigration — another hallmark of Trump’s second term.

Since Trump took office in 2025, the USDA has terminated and targeted smaller programs in violation of the administration’s goals, but has never before threatened all recipients of the agency’s funding, according to the states.

States say the 2026 conditions are overly vague, and do not define or explain any specifics of the guidelines — and may require states to adopt requirements in direct opposition of their own laws and policies.

“With billions at stake for life-sustaining food and critical funding for their residents, the states may be forced to accept funding conditions that they fundamentally do not understand, that are designed to coerce the states and their instrumentalities to adopt USDA’s policies, and which are ultimately unlawful,” the states write in the complaint.

They also claim USDA is in direct violation of the Constitution and the agency’s own obligations under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Even if the USDA cured the vagueness problem, the states claim the conditions still fall short of constitutional requirements because the administration’s views regarding gender ideology and immigration-related policies “bear no meaningful relationship” to the purposes of many USDA programs.

“The lack of reasoned decision-making is astounding,” the states say in the complaint. “USDA threatens to withhold billions of dollars in critical funding from the states across every grant, cooperative agreement and other similar arrangements including mutual interest agreements, all without considering the grave harm it inflicts on longstanding reliance interests, and without ever considering alternative means of advancing its agency priorities.”

The USDA provides billions of dollars each year to support a range of programs, including agricultural research, farm support, forestry and wildfire prevention and infrastructure.

The 21 states listed in the complaint receive over $74 billion annually from the department.

The department is also responsible for key nutrition programs across the country, including the school lunch program — serving nearly 30 million kids — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

“These federal grant programs are a lifeline for families across Massachusetts,” Massachusetts Attorney General Joy Campbell said in a press release Monday. “They ensure that children have access to meals at school, families can cover basic necessities, seniors can stretch limited incomes and rural communities have critical support.”

Monday’s lawsuit is the latest in a line of legal action Democrat-led states and jurisdictions have taken against the Trump administration for what they claim to be a continued campaign of political retribution against states not in step with the administration’s mission.

Joining New York and Massachusetts in the complaint are California, Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison — who recently fought against SNAP cuts in his state — did not respond to an initial request for comment Monday.

The Justice Department also did not respond to a request for comment, and the USDA told Courthouse News it would not comment on pending litigation.