BALTIMORE — Maryland is among 21 states suing the Trump Administration over its threats to cut billions of dollars in USDA funding.
In December of 2025 USDA implemented new conditions on states receiving federal funding for a number of entitlement programs like food stamps (SNAP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, also known as WIC.
New USDA guidelines require states to comply with the Trump Administration's policies mandating that no federal tax-payer funds go towards undocumented migrants or programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
SEE ALSO: Maryland sues in attempt to withhold SNAP recipient info from feds
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown says the policies are vague and risk states being on the receiving end of "arbitrary enforcement."
Like dozens of other lawsuits filed by Brown and his fellow Democratic State's Attorneys General, this latest one was brought in Massachusetts which has an overwhelming majority of judges appointed by former Democratic Presidents, who've proven to side against Trump in nearly every instance.
This is notable considering a unanimous Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals last month ruled in favor of Trump regarding halts to other DEI related funding, based on the same argument of "vagueness."
Appellate Judge Albert Diaz, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, in that opinion wrote the following:
"The President may determine his policy priorities and instruct his agents to make funding decisions based on them. President Trump has decided that equity isn’t a priority in his administration and so has directed his subordinates to terminate funding that supports equity-related projects to the maximum extent allowed by law.”
Maryland receives more than $2 billion of USDA funding annually. In 2024 USDA found that Maryland had a 13.64 error rate, 8.65 percent of which were over-payments.
