Attorney General Jay Jones announced on Mar. 24 that he has joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration for imposing new conditions on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and grants.
The lawsuit seeks to prevent the enforcement of what the coalition describes as vague and expansive requirements tied to immigration, diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender identity—conditions they argue are unrelated to the purpose of USDA funding. These requirements affect critical services such as school lunches, nutrition assistance programs like SNAP and WIC, emergency food support through TEFAP, and rural firefighting resources.
“The Trump administration continues to target lifelines like food and safety for millions of people in Virginia with continued aggressive, arbitrary, and illegal overreach,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “The new rules seek to politicize school lunches, food stamps, and even limiting volunteer firefighting capacity for rural communities. We will not allow Virginia’s children, families, and seniors to bear the brunt of Donald Trump’s callous and lawless policies that put their futures and their lives at risk. My office will continue to use every legal tool at its disposal to ensure the safety and security of Virginians in our fight against continued attacks from the federal government.”
According to estimates cited in the announcement, nearly one million Virginians face hunger each year; about one in ten residents rely on SNAP benefits; WIC serves between 105,000-127,000 recipients monthly; half of all infants born nationwide benefit from WIC; while rural fire departments depend on federal-state partnerships for wildfire protection equipment.
Jones argues that effective Dec. 31 last year USDA began requiring states to comply with policies relating not only to agriculture but also broader social issues without clearly identifying those policies or limits—leaving states uncertain about compliance standards or enforcement measures.
The Office of Attorney General supports civil rights enforcement initiatives as well as victim assistance programs according to its official website. It provides legal counsel for state agencies while promoting public safety across Virginia as detailed online. The office also addresses issues such as human trafficking and domestic violence through legal advocacy according to official information, offers consumer protection resources including identity theft prevention as noted by state authorities, serves all regions within Virginia according to published sources, with Miyares holding office as the state’s 48th attorney general according to records.
Joining Jones in this action are attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia (Washington D.C.), Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota New Jersey New Mexico New York Oregon Rhode Island Vermont Washington Wisconsin.
