In a recent development, a group of Democratic attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, has initiated a legal fight against the Trump administration's attempt to gain access to food stamp data of millions of recipients.
The legal action, which includes New York Attorney General Letitia James and 19 other prosecutors, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit aims to prevent the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from acquiring personal information on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients.
According to the Daily Caller, this legal action is the latest in a series of litigations by Democrats who are opposed to the Trump administration's policies. Bonta, in a prepared statement, expressed his disapproval of the administration's demand for SNAP data, stating,
This unprecedented demand that states turn over SNAP data violates all kinds of state and federal privacy laws and further breaks the trust between the federal government and the people it serves. He further emphasized California's refusal to comply with what he termed an "illegal demand," promising to meet the President in court.
The USDA, when approached by the Daily Caller News Foundation for a comment on the lawsuit, did not respond.
The Democratic attorneys general argue that the USDA's demand is a mere attempt to further the President's agenda on issues unrelated to the food stamp program, including immigration enforcement. The lawsuit alleges that the requested information includes immigration status and other sensitive data.
The lawsuit states, Defendants demands for SNAP data from states do not occur in a vacuum, but rather in the context of a number of similar moves by federal agencies to obtain and disclose highly sensitive [Personal Identifying Information], not for program purposes, but for the creation of a surveillance system to advance the Presidents agenda, including by facilitating the Presidents mass deportation efforts.
The lawsuit seeks to have the court declare the USDA's demand unlawful and to prevent the Trump administration from making receipt of food stamp funds contingent on compliance. The attorneys general also request that the Trump administration refrain from disclosing the SNAP data to the Department of Government Efficiency or federal immigration authorities for any purpose other than facilitating the program.
SNAP, a significant federal aid program, served an average of nearly 42 million people per month, accounting for more than 12% of U.S. residents, according to a 2024 USDA report. The federally funded program collaborates with the USDAs Food and Nutrition Service and other payment processors directly with states.
In May, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that her department would require all records associated with SNAP benefits to be shared with the government. The Trump administration argues that this move would ensure the Governments ability to detect overpayments and fraud and to eliminate other inefficiencies.
The requested information spans from January 2020 to the present day. Rollins stated at the time, 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 Trump administration asserts that this move complies with Executive Order 14243, signed by the President on March 20. The order primarily requires agency leaders to take all necessary steps to ensure the federal government has unrestricted access to data from state-administered programs that receive federal funding.
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