The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly referred to as SNAP or food stamps, is a federal program that assists low income households with buying nutritious foods. In order to be considered eligible for SNAP benefits, the individual or household with have to meet certain resource and income requirements. Since the program is run by state agencies through local offices, limits can vary from state to state.
A recent federal directive has stipulated that the personal data of all SNAP beneficiaries be turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Consequently, a coalition of twenty-one states, along with Washington D.C. have now filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and as of July 29th, a judge has officially been assigned to the case. Here is what you need to know.
SNAP lawsuit
The State of California et al v. United States Department of Agriculture et al contends that the federal directive is a violation of the Administrative Procedures Act, as well as federal privacy laws. During the Monday press conference wherein the lawsuit was announced, California Attorney General Rob Bonta asserted that, “SNAP recipients provided this information to get help feeding their families not to be entered into a government surveillance database or be used as targets in the president’s inhumane immigration agenda.”
The personal data that has been demanded by the USDA includes sensitive information such as names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and immigration status, all dating back to January 2020. The USDA also warned that non-compliance regarding this request could negatively impact the funding for the state run SNAP programs. Furthermore, the USDA has not yet revealed why the request for the data was made or how it plans to use it.
This lawsuit is coming about as a result of a March executive order from President Trump that states all federal agencies are to expand interagency data sharing which then allowed for the USDA to make the request for the SNAP data.
“This isn’t about oversight and transparency,” Bonta further noted. “This is about establishing widespread surveillance under the guise of fighting fraud. We can call it what it is, an illegal data grab designed to scare people away from public assistance programs.”
President Bill Clinton assigned federal judge to preside over SNAP lawsuit
On July 29th, U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney, a federal judge, had officially been assigned to preside over this lawsuit against the USDA. Judge Chesney had been appointed by former President Bill Clinton and has been serving in the Northern District of California since 1995.
The suit is still in the early stages and as such, no hearings have been scheduled yet, however, this case will have major implications with regards to privacy rights. Whilst SNAP benefits are not available for non-citizens, their U.S. born children can still qualify. As such, the plaintiffs argue that by exposing the personal data of mixed-status households this way could put these individuals at risk — particularly if the data is improperly shared with other federal agencies who, for instance, deal with immigration enforcement.
“Such a requirement violates both the Administrative Procedure Act and federal laws that restrict the use and disclosure of SNAP data,” according to the lawsuit.
In a July 28th press release, New York Attorney General Letitia James said, “Families should be able to get the food assistance they need without fearing that they will be targeted by this administration. I will not allow the SNAP benefits that millions of New Yorkers count on to be put at risk. We are suing today to stop this illegal policy and protect New Yorkers’ privacy and access to food assistance.”
“President Trump continues to weaponize private and sensitive personal information—not to root out fraud, but to create a culture of fear where people are unwilling to apply for essential services,” adding: “This unprecedented demand for SNAP data violates state and federal privacy laws. California will not comply. We’ll see the President in court,” Bonta also shared.