Summary
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has asked states to give them personal data from people who have applied for or received food assistance, known as SNAP. They want data on household members, immigration status, and more, by July 30, to check the integrity of the program and reduce fraud.
Key Facts
- More than 40 million people use food assistance programs funded by the federal government.
- The USDA wants states to share data from the past five years on people in the SNAP program.
- The data includes names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and addresses.
- The USDA also wants information on immigration status, education, and employment.
- The USDA says this data will help check SNAP eligibility and fight fraud.
- The request is linked to a Trump executive order to improve data sharing and reduce program abuse.
- Critics argue there are existing ways to oversee SNAP without collecting all this personal data.
- Legal challenges claim the USDA's plan may break federal privacy laws.
