Judge blocks USDA conditions on $74 billion nutrition funds

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing new conditions on billions of dollars in federal nutrition funding, siding with a coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia that sued to halt the policy. The preliminary injunction was granted on Friday by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston, who said he would issue a detailed memorandum explaining his decision at a later date.

The lawsuit, filed in March 2026, challenged a directive from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that required states to certify compliance with federal "policies" in order to continue receiving funding for a wide range of programs. The states argued these new conditions, which became effective at the end of 2025, were unlawfully imposed and threatened critical assistance for low-income families and farmers.

The contested requirements included provisions related to immigration enforcement, transgender athletes, and diversity initiatives, which the plaintiff states argued were vague and unrelated to the agricultural and nutrition programs they were meant to fund. The coalition, which receives more than $74 billion annually from the USDA, contended the department...