I just figured out the back story, the state has a pending court decision in a lawsuit vs. the USDA. This announcement is clearly a political stunt in light of that:
https://www.minnpost.com/national/washington/2026/01/snap-mi...
https://www.minnpost.com/national/washington/2026/01/snap-mi...
It's only going to get worse, they lose in court and find another angle to keep breaking the law, over and over, there simply isn't enough institutional power in the USA to do anything against it.
When the person tasked with executing the law is a convicted criminal and is ignoring laws himself...