US District Judge thwarts USDA from gathering information about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applicants in 21 states.
The U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney in California has temporarily barred the federal government from collecting personal information about residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 21 states and Washington, D.C.
The ruling comes as a response to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of states, claiming that the federal SNAP Act requires states to safeguard the information they receive from SNAP applicants, only releasing it for limited purposes related to administering or enforcing the food assistance program.
According to the lawsuit, the USDA has announced plans to share the SNAP data with other entities and use it for purposes not allowed by the SNAP Act, as reported by Chesney. This move has raised concerns among the states, who fear that the data could be used to aid mass deportation efforts.
The states' argument against the USDA's data collection is likely to succeed, Judge Chesney stated in her Thursday's ruling. The states argued that the personal data can only be used for administering the food assistance program and generally cannot be shared with other entities.
The case is at least the second lawsuit filed over the USDA's attempt to collect SNAP information. Privacy and hunger relief groups, along with a handful of people receiving food assistance benefits, filed a similar lawsuit in Washington, D.C., in May.
The Trump administration has worked to collect data on millions of U.S. residents through various federal agencies, as evidenced by President Donald Trump's executive order on March 20, directing agencies to ensure "unfettered access to comprehensive data from all state programs."
In July, the USDA warned states that if they failed to turn over the information about people enrolled in the federal food assistance program, SNAP funding would be cut off. Some states have already complied, but the temporary restraining order issued against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prevents the collection of personal information in the affected states.
A hearing will be held next month to determine if a longer-term prohibition is necessary. The earlier lawsuit, filed in May, resulted in a federal judge declining to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the data collection. However, the recent ruling indicates a shift in the legal landscape surrounding the USDA's data collection efforts.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves over 42 million people nationwide. The program, under which the federal government pays 100% of the food benefits, while the states determine who is eligible for the benefits and issue them to enrollees, remains a vital component of the nation's food security system. The ongoing legal battle highlights the importance of balancing data privacy and program efficiency in the administration of such a critical social safety net.
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