Trump Administration Sued Over SNAP Benefits Move
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A coalition of 20 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Trump administration, seeking to block a data request that would require states to turn over private information about millions of low-income Americans receiving food assistance.
Under a directive issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), states have been ordered to share private recipient and applicant information relating to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries with the federal government. Attorneys general across 19 states and Washington, D.C., have said they will not comply with the USDA's request, citing concerns over its legality and SNAP recipients' privacy.
Newsweek contacted the USDA for comment via email outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The USDA, which oversees SNAP, first announced this data push in May as part of President Donald Trump's executive order to increase data sharing across federal and state programs.
The USDA issued the directive last week, giving states a deadline of July 30 to comply. The requested data includes information such as names, dates of birth, personal addresses and Social Security numbers—data that state officials argue is protected under existing privacy laws.
According to the USDA, the goal of the data collection is to help root out fraud in the program, which currently serves some 42 million people nationwide.
The Department of Agriculture building in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2020.
The Department of Agriculture building in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2020.
GETTY
What To Know
States attorneys general involved in the legal challenge—including New York's Letitia James and California's Rob Bonta—say the request violates federal privacy laws and the U.S. Constitution. They also cite concerns that the information could be used to facilitate immigration enforcement.
The USDA directive does not mention immigration enforcement as a reason for data collection.
The lawsuit asks the court to issue an injunction blocking the transfer of SNAP recipient data. It also seeks a ruling that prohibits the administration from sharing the requested information with the Department of Government Efficiency or the Department of Homeland Security for any purpose beyond administering the SNAP program.
The legal action comes amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to access private data from various federal and state programs. Agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have been directed to share personal information with immigration authorities in recent months.
Prior to the directive issued last week, the USDA said it would pause data collection after its original request on May 6 was met with a motion for a temporary restraining order filed by a group of nonprofits and SNAP beneficiaries. The group argued that the demand violated the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Privacy Act and other statutes.
At the time, a USDA spokesperson told Newsweek, "We do not comment on pending litigation."
Which States Are Involved?
The attorneys general of the following states and the District of Columbia have signed on to the lawsuit:
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Hawaii
Illinois
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
Oregon
Rhode Island
Washington
Wisconsin
The office of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is also a plaintiff in the case.
What People Are Saying
New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a Monday news conference regarding the lawsuit: "We will not allow this lifesaving program to be illegally used to hunt down immigrants and their families."
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said: "It's a bait-and-switch of the worst kind. 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."
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a May 6 news release announcing the data-sharing plans: "President Trump is rightfully requiring the federal government to have access to all programs it funds, and SNAP is no exception. For years, this program has been on autopilot, with no USDA insight into real-time data. The Department is focused on appropriate and lawful participation in SNAP, and today's request is one of many steps to ensure SNAP is preserved for only those eligible."
What Happens Next
The USDA has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Woody Allen recalls Jeffrey Epstein dinner parties served by ‘young women'
Woody Allen frequently attended 'interesting' dinner parties hosted by Jeffrey Epstein, which he recalled being attended by an eclectic collection of VIP guests being 'well served' by young women. A typewritten letter obtained by the New York Times and reportedly penned by Allen in 2016, described 'many' of the 89-year-old filmmaker's visits to the seven-story Upper East Side townhouse that Epstein called home. The letter was reportedly part of a collection of missives written to celebrate the billionaire's 63rd birthday. 'Being neighbors,' Allen said he and and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, were often invited to dine with Epstein and 'always' accepted before the disgraced financier died by suicide while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019. 'Lots of dishes, plenty of choices, numerous desserts, well served,' Allen wrote. 'I say well served — often it's by some professional houseman and just as often by several young women [reminding] one of Castle Dracula,' comparing the experience to the 'young female vampires' seen in a Bela Lugosi horror film. Allen's newly obtained letter comes just weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported that a collection of cards written for Epstein's 50th birthday included a cryptic and suggestive letter from President Trump saying 'may every day be another wonderful secret.' The president has denied penning that note and quickly filed a lawsuit against the Journal seeking billions of dollars in damages. Calls for the Justice Department to further release details of its Epstein investigation have grown louder since Trump came into office in January after indicating he'd make those files public. Former Trump ally Elon Musk suggested in June the reason the investigation is being slowed is because the president — a longtime friend of Epstein — is mentioned in the Epstein files. Neither Trump nor Allen have been accused of any wrongdoing involving Epstein. Allen famously married Soon-Yi Previn in 1997, when she was 27 and he was 62. Previn was the adopted daughter of Allen's ex-girlfriend, Mia Farrow.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's Copper Tariffs Apply to $15 Billion of Goods So Far
(Bloomberg) -- US President Donald Trump's first wave of copper tariffs will hit imports valued at more than $15 billion last year, highlighting the potential inflationary impact on American buyers. Mayor Asked to Explain $1.4 Billion of Wasted Johannesburg Funds All Hail the Humble Speed Hump PATH Train Service Resumes After Fire at Jersey City Station Details of the 50% import duties sparked turmoil in the global copper market last week — including a record slump for US futures — because Trump handed a surprise exemption to key forms of the wiring metal. But that still leaves significant trade volumes subject to tariffs. On Monday, the US Federal Register published a list of exactly what will fall under the 50% levy. It includes semi-processed products — like wires, tubes and rods — worth $7.7 billion last year, plus cabling typically used for phone or internet connections with almost the same value, according to Bloomberg News calculations. And it doesn't stop there. The White House ordered officials to come up with a plan in 90 days to slap tariffs on an array of other copper-intensive manufactured goods. Trump dramatically expanded the scope of US aluminum and steel tariffs earlier this year by adding derivative products. The US copper market is scrambling to understand the implications of Trump's tariffs, which the president said will help boost domestic output of semi-processed and copper-containing products. He stopped short of tariffs on refined metal — an omission that shocked investors but reflects deep US reliance on imports and a pushback by key American buyers, who feared the duties would drive up costs significantly. Still, the US took in at least 600,000 tons of semi-finished copper last year, according to the US International Trade Commission. About 35% came from Canada, followed by Germany, South Korea and Mexico each at less than 10%. Refined copper, spared from the levies, amounted to about 900,000 tons and was worth about $8.4 billion. Tariffs will be levied according to the value of the copper content. That means the 'semis' that are almost pure copper will attract a much higher effective duty rate than, say, internet cables where the copper wiring is only a part of the product. (Updates with country data in penultimate paragraph.) Russia's Secret War and the Plot to Kill a German CEO AI Flight Pricing Can Push Travelers to the Limit of Their Ability to Pay Government Steps Up Campaign Against Business School Diversity What Happens to AI Startups When Their Founders Jump Ship for Big Tech The GOP Is Choosing Pesticides Over the MAHA Moms ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
NBC News
30 minutes ago
- NBC News
NATO to coordinate regular and large-scale arms deliveries to Ukraine. Most will be bought in the U.S.
BRUSSELS — NATO has started coordinating regular deliveries of large weapons packages to Ukraine after the Netherlands said it would provide air defense equipment, ammunition and other military aid worth 500 million euros ($578 million). Sweden also announced Tuesday it would contribute $275 million to a joint effort along with its Nordic neighbors Denmark and Norway to provide $500 million worth of air defenses, anti-tank weapons, ammunition and spare parts. Two deliveries of equipment, most of it bought in the United States, are expected this month, although the Nordic package is expected to arrive in September. The equipment is supplied based on Ukraine's priority needs on the battlefield. NATO allies then locate the weapons and ammunition and send them on. 'Packages will be prepared rapidly and issued on a regular basis,' NATO said Monday. Air defense systems are in greatest need. The United Nations has said that Russia's relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians. Russia's bigger army is also making slow but costly progress along the 620-mile front line. Currently, it is waging an operation to take the eastern city of Pokrovsk, a logistical hub whose fall could allow it to drive deeper into Ukraine. European allies and Canada are buying most of the equipment they plan to send from the United States, which has greater stocks of ready military materiel, as well as more effective weapons. The Trump administration is not giving any arms to Ukraine. The new deliveries will come on top of other pledges of military equipment. The Kiel Institute, which tracks support to Ukraine, estimates that as of June, European countries had provided 72 billion euros ($83 billion) worth of military aid since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, compared to $65 billion in U.S. aid. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said that 'American air defense systems and munitions, in particular, are crucial for Ukraine to defend itself.' Announcing the deliveries Monday, he said Russia's attacks are 'pure terror, intended to break Ukraine.' President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the Netherlands, posting on social media that 'Ukraine, and thus the whole of Europe, will be better protected from Russian terror.' He said the deliveries are coming 'at a time when Russia is trying to scale up its strikes. This will definitely help protect the lives of our people!' Germany said Friday it will deliver two more Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine in the coming days. It agreed to the move after securing assurances that the U.S. will prioritize the delivery of new Patriots to Germany to backfill its stocks. These weapon systems are only made in the U.S. As an organization, NATO provides only non-lethal assistance to Ukraine like uniforms, tents, medical supplies and logistics support. The 32-nation military alliance has mostly sought to protect NATO territory from possible Russian attack and avoid being dragged into a war against a nuclear power. But its support role has expanded since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, even as his administration insists European allies must now take care of their own security and that of their war-ravaged neighbor. Trump has made no public promise of weapons or economic support for Ukraine. Trump said on July 28 that the U.S. is 'going to be sending now military equipment and other equipment to NATO, and they'll be doing what they want, but I guess it's for the most part working with Ukraine.'
