California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 19 other attorneys general, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over its recent demand for states to provide personal information about millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. The legal action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The USDA’s request includes sensitive data such as social security numbers and home addresses dating back five years for all SNAP applicants and recipients. California officials argue that this move could force states to choose between protecting residents’ privacy and continuing to provide critical nutrition assistance, as federal administrative funding could be withheld if states do not comply. California receives approximately $1 billion annually to administer SNAP, which supports low-income families with food assistance.
Attorney General Bonta stated, “President Trump continues to weaponize private and sensitive personal information — not to root out fraud, but to create a culture of fear where people are unwilling to apply for essential services. We’re talking about kids not getting school lunch; fire victims not accessing emergency services; and other devastating, and deadly, consequences. That is Trump’s vision for America,” said Attorney General Bonta. “This unprecedented demand that states turn over SNAP data violates all kinds of state and federal privacy laws and further breaks the trust between the federal government and the people it serves. The President doesn’t get to change the rules in the middle of the game, no matter how much he may want to. While he may be comfortable breaking promises to the American people, California is not. We will not comply with this illegal demand. We’ll see the President in court.”
For six decades, SNAP has been managed by both federal and state agencies under strict guidelines intended to protect recipient privacy. The USDA itself has previously described SNAP as having one of the most rigorous quality control systems among federal programs.
The lawsuit claims that USDA’s demands violate multiple federal privacy laws, fail to meet public comment requirements for regulatory changes, exceed statutory authority granted by Congress, and violate constitutional limits on spending conditions imposed on states.
According to public reports referenced by California officials, there is concern that this effort is part of a broader initiative by federal agencies—including Homeland Security—to collect large databases containing Americans’ personal information from various sources for undisclosed uses such as immigration enforcement.
The coalition led by Attorneys General Bonta and James also includes attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island Washington Wisconsin as well as Kentucky.
A copy of the lawsuit can be accessed online.
