Summary
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has asked states to provide personal data about millions of people who receive food assistance known as SNAP by July 30. A lawsuit has been filed to delay this demand, arguing it may not comply with privacy laws. Some U.S. senators have expressed concerns that this could be misused for surveillance.
Key Facts
- The USDA wants states to share data on SNAP beneficiaries by July 30.
- This data includes names, birth dates, addresses, Social Security numbers, and benefit amounts.
- Over 40 million people use SNAP benefits each month.
- A federal lawsuit has been filed to postpone the data collection, with a hearing set for July 23.
- Some senators wrote a letter to the USDA expressing worries about privacy and potential legal violations.
- The USDA’s notice about this data collection is open for public comments until July 23.
- The Trump administration is linking personal data for uses such as immigration enforcement.
- A recent federal agreement lets Immigration and Customs Enforcement access Medicaid data for locating immigrants.
