FRANKFORT, KY (WMDJ) — Today in a press release, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that a federal judge has ruled in favor of Kentucky, 24 other states, and the District of Columbia in their challenge against the Trump administration’s suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

The ruling orders the U.S. Department of Agriculture to restore funding to SNAP, which helps more than 40 million Americans and nearly 600,000 Kentuckians — many of them children — buy groceries during the ongoing federal government shutdown.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts ruled the suspension likely illegal and directed the USDA to determine how much contingency funding will be used to continue benefits. In a separate case, U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island also ordered the administration to move forward with distributing those funds.

The press release also goes on to say that Gov. Beshear signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency and directing $5 million from the state’s budget reserve trust fund to Feeding Kentucky. The organization operates seven food banks serving all 120 counties through more than 900 local pantries and meal programs.

According to the lawsuit, SNAP serves one in eight Americans and costs roughly $8 billion per month. To qualify in 2025, a family of four’s net income after certain expenses can’t exceed about $31,000 per year.

In addition to this action, the Governor said Kentucky has allocated more than $12 million in state funds to temporarily support the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program during the shutdown. SNAP recipients in Kentucky can continue using their current benefits as normal while federal funds are restored.