The Trump administration is threatening to withhold SNAP funding from more than 20 states, including Arizona, that have refused to share data about residents who benefit from the food assistance program, citing privacy and concerns with how the federal government will use that information.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday that the action is looming because those states are refusing to provide data the department requested, such as the names and immigration status of aid recipients.
Rollins said cooperation is needed to root out fraud in the program.
“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.
Earlier this year, a coalition of Democrat-led states filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s attempts to collect that data. The lawsuit claimed the administration is actually seeking the data “to advance goals that have nothing to do with combating waste, fraud, or abuse in federal benefit programs.
That includes aiding in Trump’s mass deportation effort, because, though non-citizens are not eligible for SNAP, they can apply for benefits for their U.S. citizen children.
Empty threats?
Whether Rollins’ threat has teeth is still an open question.
A federal judge issued an order in October blocking the administration from collecting information from states that signed onto the lawsuit, including Arizona.
“Given these rulings we believe the Trump administration’s threats are illegal and we are evaluating appropriate remedies,” Richie Taylor, a spokesman for Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, said in a statement.
SNAP in Arizona
Over 850,000 Arizonans received SNAP benefits in September, including over 340,000 children, according to the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
Those individuals received an average of $182 in benefits at a total cost of $156 million.
The threat from Rollins to withhold funding is just the latest development that has created uncertainty for people who use SNAP after congressional Republicans passed changes to the program over the summer and the federal government shutdown led to a temporary pause on benefits last month.
The federal government gave states until Dec. 8 to respond to the latest letter seeking SNAP data. The Trump administration also faces a mid-December deadline to appeal the court order blocking it from seeking that data, according to the New York Times.
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