California Court Blocks Trump Admin’s Access to SNAP Recipients’ Data

A San Francisco judge blocked the USDA from cutting off funding for states that don’t provide the agency with data about people getting food stamps.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a news conference at the San Francisco Public Library's Bernal Heights branch in San Francisco on Dec. 4, 2024. Jeff Chiu/AP Photo

A San Francisco district court temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Oct. 15 from accessing information about food stamp recipients in several states.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit jointly with 20 other states against the USDA in July, alleging the agency violated several federal laws and the U.S. Constitution by asking for detailed information about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients.

“The Trump Administration can try all it wants to strong arm states into illegally handing over data, but we know the rule of law is on our side,” Bonta said in a statement.

“We will continue to vigorously litigate this lawsuit and defend our communities, protect privacy, and ensure that remains a tool for fighting hunger—not a weapon for political targeting.”

The USDA has threatened to cut off some federal funding to states that don’t hand over SNAP data.

California receives more than $1 billion a year to administer the program.

“Any delay in that funding could be catastrophic for the state and its residents who rely on SNAP to put food on the table,” Bonta’s office stated.

In her ruling, District Judge Maxine Chesney granted the state’s request to block the USDA from withholding SNAP funding from states that don’t comply, saying it was likely the states could succeed in the lawsuit.

The USDA asked the judge to impose a bond on states during the injunction, but Chesney denied the request.

In the lawsuit, the coalition of states and the District of Columbia told the court they were obligated to keep personally identifiable information of SNAP applicants and recipients confidential.

State and federal laws prohibit states from disclosing the information unless “strictly necessary for the administration of the program, or other limited circumstances exist,” the plaintiffs claimed.

The lawsuit followed President Donald Trump’s March 20 executive order asking agency heads to take actions to ensure the federal government had “unfettered access to comprehensive data from all State programs that receive Federal funding.”

The USDA sent a letter to states in May, asking them to provide the agency with information from their SNAP records, including personal information about applicants and recipients. The agency notified states it would withhold program funding from any state that did not comply.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington on Nov. 13, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

According to the letter, the USDA said it intended to use the data to verify the eligibility of SNAP program benefit recipients.

States said their SNAP agencies were asked to transfer the data to the USDA by July 30.

SNAP is a federally funded, state-administered program that provides billions of dollars in food assistance to tens of millions of low-income families.

Applicants provide their private information with an understanding that the data will not be used for unrelated purposes, according to Bonta.

The USDA did not return a request for comment about the temporary injunction by publication time.