At least 27 states turned over sensitive data about food stamp recipients to USDA

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting/NPR

Oct. 16, 2025 4:43 p.m.


Since late July, most Democratic-led states have refused to give in to an unprecedented demand from the Trump administration to turn over personal information on federal food assistance recipients going back to 2020, including their names, dates of birth, home addresses, Social Security numbers and benefits amounts. Yet most states with a Republican governor have already complied. NPR’s reporting found at least 27 states have already shared data on millions of people who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP.

Each month, close to 42 million Americans rely on SNAP, which used to be known as food stamps. The U.S. Department of Agriculture framed the data demand as necessary to accomplish the Trump administration’s goal of identifying and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse.

Democratic state officials have argued the data demand is unlawful and likely part of a pattern of the Trump administration aggregating Americans’ personal data for purposes that include immigration enforcement. Those states won a victory in court on Wednesday when U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney in San Francisco issued a preliminary order blocking the Trump administration from punishing them for refusing to turn over SNAP data.

The ruling means as the case continues, the Trump administration cannot legally follow through with threats to withhold SNAP administrative funds that add up to billions of dollars annually from 21 states and the District of Columbia that are parties to the lawsuit and have not shared the data.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/10/16/nx-s1-5533045/snap-privacy-usda-lawsuit

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Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.453513/gov.uscourts.cand.453513.106.0.pdf

[cbabe]

1. States that gave up:

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota,, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming also complied with the data transfer by Aug. 12, according to USDA's court filings.

Also Vermont, Ohio, Nebraska.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Red states or purple/blue states with GOP governors.

I'm guessing TX & FL made it a no-brainer and didn't even need a notice to violate rights and submit immediately!

There's no mention of Kansas (red state with (D) governor).

[cbabe]

3. More states from link:

Most Republican-led states have completed the SNAP data transfer, as did North Carolina, which has a Democratic governor. Eight states relayed to NPR the data fields they shared and the answers varied by state.
…

NPR separately was informed by officials in Idaho, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee that they had either complied or were in process. Florida officials did not respond to NPR's questions about whether the state had shared data.

…More …

[ananda]

4. Interesting that Texas is not on the list.

Curious