USDA to withhold SNAP benefits from Democratic states refusing to share data
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would withhold Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, referred to as SNAP, food aid from recipients in most Democratic-led states, according to The Associated Press. The Trump administration said it would start withholding benefits next week unless the states begin providing information on who is receiving the assistance.
On Tuesday, during a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the move is in the works because those states refused to provide information that the department requested. The information included the names and immigration status of aid recipients.
Rollins said the administration needs the information so it can fix alleged fraud in the program. According to USDA data from this year, fraud within SNAP benefits costs Americans about $102 million in the first quarter of 2025. Stolen SNAP benefits are a common form of fraud, with Alabama reporting over 26,000 cases of stolen SNAP benefit claims, the highest number in the nation.
About 1-in-8 Americans rely on SNAP benefits to help buy groceries. New Mexico has the highest percentage of people using the program, at 21%. Louisiana and Oregon tie for second at 18%.
The average SNAP beneficiary receives about $190 per person, or about $6 per day, according to the AP.
What data is the USDA asking for?
The Trump administration initially asked for the recipient data back in February in an executive order. While most Republican-run states complied with the order, most Democratic-run states did not. Instead, those states sued to block the requirement.
In late October, a federal judge in California issued a preliminary ruling stating that the Trump administration can’t withhold SNAP funding from states that refused to provide the USDA with the information.
The ruling means the White House cannot legally go through with its plan as the case continues.
In addition to immigration data, the USDA also asked for beneficiaries’ Social Security numbers, which has led some lawmakers to say that it was an “unlawful privacy violation.”
Straight Arrow News has reached out to the Democratic Attorneys General Association for comment.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
