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By Aliss Higham
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A federal judge has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from withholding SNAP benefit funding from 22 Democratic-led states amid a dispute over demands for detailed personal data on benefit recipients.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Department for Agriculture (USDA) for comment.
Why It Matters
The legal dispute centers on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. About 40 million people nationwide rely on SNAP benefits, which are financed by the federal government but administered by state agencies.
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In May, the USDA announced that states would be required to share extensive recipient data—including names, dates of birth, addresses and Social Security numbers—under an executive order from President Donald Trump aimed at expanding data sharing between federal and state agencies.
The department said the move was intended to advance the administration's efforts to eliminate "waste, fraud and abuse" in public assistance programs, and that not adhering to the order would result in funding cuts.
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What To Know
Maxine Chesney, a U.S. District Judge in San Francisco, issued a preliminary injunction preventing the USDA from cutting off funds to states that declined to provide the requested information.
The ruling bars the agency from halting payments based on data demands it issued in recent months tied to the administration's broader data-sharing initiative.
The 22 Democratic-led states challenged the requirement in court, arguing that the data request violated federal privacy protections and the U.S. Constitution. They also raised concerns that the information could potentially be used to support immigration enforcement efforts.
Chesney said the USDA's actions appeared inconsistent with the law governing SNAP. In her ruling, she wrote that the agency's demand for data, combined with its threat to withhold funding, likely ran counter to statutory limits. She also expressed concern that the department's data security protocols could permit improper sharing with unauthorized entities.
According to a November letter from the USDA, 28 states, most led by Republican governors, have already submitted the requested data.
What People Are Saying
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement: "The President has made no secret of his desire to build a mass surveillance database using Americans' personal, private data. For a second time, we've secured a court order rebuffing the Trump Administration's demands that states turn over data on SNAP recipients. Time and again, the President has broken the law, and time and again, we've stopped him in court."
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a May 6 news release announcing the data-sharing plans: "President Trump is rightfully requiring the federal government to have access to all programs it funds and SNAP is no exception. For years, this program has been on autopilot, with no USDA insight into real-time data. The Department is focused on appropriate and lawful participation in SNAP, and today's request is one of many steps to ensure SNAP is preserved for only those eligible."
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