The Trump administration issued a warning Tuesday that it could withhold money used to run SNAP food assistance programs in most Democratic-led states unless they provide detailed information about benefit recipients.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a Cabinet meeting that states are refusing to provide requested data, including names and immigration status of people receiving SNAP aid. She argued that the information is needed to prevent fraud in the program. Democratic states have sued to block the requirement, asserting that they already verify eligibility for SNAP recipients and do not share broad sets of sensitive data with the federal government.
While states and the federal government share the cost of administering SNAP, the federal government pays the full cost of benefits. After Rollins’ remarks, a USDA spokesperson clarified that the administration is targeting only administrative funds, not the benefits themselves.
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The request for information was first issued in February and has already sparked legal challenges. Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia sued to block it, and a federal judge in San Francisco temporarily barred the administration from collecting the data, AP reported. Last week, the federal government sent a letter urging compliance, giving states until Dec. 8 to respond.
“We have sent Democrat States yet another request for data, and if they fail to comply, they will be provided with formal warning that USDA will pull their administrative funds,” the USDA said in a statement Tuesday.
Federal law allows the USDA to withhold some administrative funding if states repeatedly fail to follow certain regulations. Legal experts, however, question whether the administration has authority in this case.
“There’s never authority to withhold the SNAP benefits and, in this case, there’s also no authority to withhold the administrative funding,” said David Super, a Georgetown University law professor who has studied the program for decades.
SNAP provides assistance to about 42 million Americans, roughly one in eight, helping them buy groceries. The average monthly benefit is about $190 per person, or a little over $6 a day.
Rollins cited data from states that complied with the request, claiming that 186,000 deceased individuals are receiving SNAP benefits and 500,000 receive benefits more than once.
“We asked for all the states for the first time to turn over their data to the federal government to let the USDA partner with them to root out this fraud, to make sure that those who really need food stamps are getting them,” Rollins said. “But also to ensure that the American taxpayer is protected.”
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The USDA has not released detailed figures on how much is lost to error or fraud. Tuesday evening, the agency said 28 states and Guam have complied with the request, mostly Republican-led, though North Carolina, with a Democratic governor, also provided data. Twenty-two states continue to challenge the request in court.
Experts aver while SNAP fraud exists, it is usually linked to organized theft of benefit cards or false identities, not ordinary recipients.
“Individuals who are just trying to buy food, those aren’t the ones who are gaming the system in the way that the administration is trying to portray,” said U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, a Connecticut Democrat and co-sponsor of legislation to reverse recent SNAP changes.
The consequences of states losing administrative funds are uncertain. Advocates cautioned that shifting more administrative costs to states could force some to exit SNAP rather than cover the extra expense. Administrative funding cannot come from the benefits themselves.
Although SNAP is usually outside the political spotlight, it has drawn attention this year. Trump’s tax and policy bill expanded work requirements for recipients aged 55 to 64, the homeless, and others. During the recent federal government shutdown, the administration initially planned to halt November benefits, sparking court disputes before payments resumed. Some states temporarily funded benefits themselves and boosted support for food banks in response.
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