States Challenge Federal Push for SNAP Recipient Data
California, along with 18 other Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from collecting sensitive information about individuals receiving food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In California, this program is known as CalFresh.
Report by Lorrie Boyer for AgNet West:
Federal Threat Over Data Compliance
The USDA had directed states to turn over detailed personal information about SNAP recipients by July 30th. States were warned that failure to comply could jeopardize their federal funding for administering the program.
California receives approximately $1.3 billion each year to help distribute about $12 billion in benefits to 5 million CalFresh recipients—roughly 13% of the state’s population.
Legal Grounds: States’ Rights and Privacy
The coalition of attorneys general argues that the USDA’s demand violates constitutional and legal protections. They contend the policy is “arbitrary and capricious,” infringes on the 10th Amendment which reserves powers to the states, and runs afoul of multiple privacy laws designed to protect individuals’ data.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
An Ongoing Pattern of Legal Pushback
This marks the 35th lawsuit that California has filed against the Trump administration in the span of just 27 weeks, highlighting continued legal resistance to federal mandates perceived as overreaching.