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OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — California on Monday blasted the Trump administration’s efforts to force states to provide the personal information of people who have applied for food stamps.
The Golden State and several others claim President Donald Trump seeks to build a database of people’s information to target immigrants. The White House says the information is needed for transparency, but the states say the Trump administration is rewriting the rules to punish those who need help through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called SNAP.
“This demand isn’t about preventing waste, fraud and abuse,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, adding moments later: “[Trump’s] rewriting the rules, targeting the most vulnerable and expected states to fall in line. Not California.”
Nineteen other state attorneys general joined the suit filed in the Northern District of California. Bonta said it’s the 35th suit California has filed against the Trump administration since the president took office in January.
SNAP is funded by the federal government and administered by the states. Billions of dollars flow through the program, which helps participants put food on their tables.
Program applicants provide personal information, with the understanding it will remain private. Bonta said that in 60 years the U.S. Department of Agriculture has never issued a request like this.
Information requested includes Social Security numbers and home addresses for the past five years.
“That’s not just a broken promise,” Bonta said. “It’s a betrayal. California will not comply.”
Bonta’s office said the USDA has indicated states that fail to submit the information might have their funding withheld. He noted the agency has given California until Wednesday to provide the information, a deadline he said is “virtually impossible” to meet even if it wanted to comply.
California gets some $1 billion a year to administer the program. Bonta’s office said any delay in that funding would be catastrophic.
The attorneys general for Michigan and New York share Bonta’s concerns. They appeared with him Monday at an online press conference.
“For decades, SNAP has prevented people from going hungry,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. “This is not for research or to improve a service people count on.
“This administration cannot intimidate vulnerable families and prevent them from putting food on the table,” she added.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the information request doesn’t seek to fight fraud, but instead gather data that the Trump administration would weaponize against SNAP participants.
“We’re taking this illegal action to court,” she added.
Others have also dismissed the argument that the request is to eliminate fraud. They noted the USDA has said that SNAP has one of the most rigorous quality control systems. Those system don’t require states to release personal information without proper restrictions.
“For many families, SNAP is the difference between having groceries on the table and going without,” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a statement. “Forcing states to hand over years of sensitive personal information puts those same families at risk.”
The suit isn’t the first of its kind.
Also this month, California filed suit claiming the Trump administration shared the personal data of millions of Californians with the Department of Homeland Security. That information came from people enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Bonta also pointed to the weaponization of personal information when announcing the suit, saying that it was part of Trump’s mass surveillance and immigration enforcement plans.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature months ago anticipated taking legal action against the Trump administration. During a special session, lawmakers earmarked $25 million for Bonta’s office for the expected lawsuits.
Bonta said $5 million of that $25 million has been spent. He anticipates making another funding request.
He added that the $5 million has helped protect billions of dollars in funding that was under threat.
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