State AGs: Court Should Block Trump's USDA from Demanding SNAP Data
A coalition of 21 states, plus Washington, D.C., asked a federal court Monday to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from demanding that they part with the sensitive, personally identifiable information (PII) of millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients while litigation is pending about the legality of the agency's request.
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Despite the pending litigation, the federal agency sent 16 of the plaintiff states an "advance notice" of compliance for collection of SNAP data on Aug. 12, requiring them to comply by Aug. 19 or risk a "formal warning," said the lawsuit.
"This is the worst possible time to yank federal food assistance, and we’re not going to let [President Donald] Trump get away with it,” said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D) in a news release Tuesday. “Preventing fraud and abuse does not require Trump to troll through years of grocery lists for hundreds of thousands of Connecticut families." Tong added that his state has "no intention" of turning over people's private information.
"USDA’s stated justification for its unprecedented data grab -- ensuring 'program integrity' -- is highly suspect," the coalition's complaint said. "USDA has for decades relied on limited samples or anonymized data for auditing purposes, because federal law restricts USDA’s access to PII, and USDA has no practical need for wide tranches of PII to perform its oversight functions."
"USDA has also brushed aside the significant data security risks inherent in compiling PII on such a massive scale and housing it in a single database, not to mention the enormous burdens this data collection will impose on Plaintiff States," even though it "previously [acknowledged] that misuse or improper sharing of SNAP participant information would harm the program by damaging public trust and chilling participation," the complaint added.
California AG Rob Bonta (D) said the federal government was attempting to bully states into sharing the data. “Fear should not be a factor when signing up for SNAP benefits to feed your family," he said in a release Tuesday. "The Trump Administration’s own statements contradict its claims that this data is necessary to combat ‘waste, fraud, and abuse.’ We’re asking the court to prevent USDA from withholding vital funding in retaliation for states refusing to meet its unlawful demands."
The lawsuit in case 25-06310 was originally filed in July, led by attorneys general in California and New York.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center is separately seeking a temporary restraining order to block the data collection. EPIC filed a lawsuit in May with other stakeholders at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (case 25-01650). It argued that collecting data violates numerous federal laws, including the Privacy Act or E-Government Act, which provides safeguards for personal data (see 2505150044 and 2507180027).
Before the coalition of states sued in July, a smaller group of attorneys general slammed the federal government's actions in a letter (see 2507210036). The USDA, however, has argued federal law permits its demand for data (see 2507220040).