Kansas Officials Defy Trump Admin Over SNAP Benefit Order
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Officials in Kansas have declined to comply with a SNAP benefit data-sharing request from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over concerns it could breach recipient privacy.
Newsweek has contacted the USDA and the Kansas Department for Children and Families for comment via email outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The USDA, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), first announced a plan to make states share benefit recipient data—including names, dates of birth, personal addresses and Social Security numbers—in May as part of President Donald Trump's executive order to increase data sharing across federal and state programs.
The agency renewed its push last week when it again ordered states to comply with the order. However, the latest directive has been met with a united legal challenge from 19 states and Washington, D.C., that contend the order violates federal privacy laws and the U.S. Constitution. Kansas, while not part of the multistate legal action, has refused to hand over the requested data.
SNAP benefit sign at the entrance to a Big Lots store in Portland, Oregon, in October 2020.
SNAP benefit sign at the entrance to a Big Lots store in Portland, Oregon, in October 2020.
GETTY
What To Know
In a letter to the USDA, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (KDCF) said the state could not comply with the request as it could "place KDCF in a position of potential liability in the event a court finds that the USDA's demand violates federal law."
The letter, sent to Gina Brand, the USDA's senior policy adviser for integrity, from KDCF Secretary Laura Howard, said the request was also difficult to comply with in a "practical matter."
"Producing the amount of data being requested will require significant time, manpower, and expense," the letter said. "Requiring the production to occur no later than July 30, 2025, presents an unreasonable burden that simply cannot be met."
According to the USDA, the goal of the data collection is to help root out fraud in the program, which serves some 42 million people nationwide.
While the agency's directive does not mention immigration enforcement as a reason for data collection, critics of the order have raised concerns that it could be used to facilitate deportations.
Regarding the multistate lawsuit, the USDA previously told Newsweek that it would "not comment on pending litigation."
What People Are Saying
Kansas Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard said: "DCF is committed to the security of Kansans' personal information and maintaining confidentiality consistent with state and federal law. This demand for personal information goes beyond the scope of administering the program and puts in jeopardy the privacy of hundreds of thousands of Kansans who depend on SNAP to put food on their tables."
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 letter from Kansas.
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