SNAP and USDA

At least 22 states plus Washington, D.C. have sued the USDA over a memo directing states to turn over SNAP enrollment and case-management data, with plaintiffs citing privacy and legal concerns. A San Francisco federal judge has paused enforcement of the request while litigation proceeds, even as 28 states — mostly GOP-led, with North Carolina the lone Democratic exception — have already provided the data.

The USDA warned it will pull SNAP administrative funds from states that refuse to provide requested recipient immigration data, saying formal warning notices will precede any cutoff and that noncompliant states could be notified as soon as next week with time to comply and an appeals process. Most GOP-led states have provided the data while 22 states plus D.C. (including California, New York and Minnesota) have sued and a San Francisco federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement — a standoff that could affect state administrative reimbursements within the roughly $100 billion-a-year SNAP program (state admin funds are a significant share of program costs and are slated to fall from about 50% to 25% next October), and some states (e.g., Connecticut) are already setting aside money to cover potential federal cuts.