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3d ago

USDA Moves to Withhold SNAP Administrative Funds From 22 Noncompliant States as Legal Fight Deepens

A standing court injunction leaves the threat in legal limbo, prompting warnings that pulling administrative money could slow enrollments.

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A sign highlights nutrition incentive program Double Up Oklahoma at an Oklahoma City grocery store. The program matches up $20 a day of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spending for produce. Programs like these are vital for low-income families, advocates say. Anna Pope/Harvest Public Media
A person shops for produce, which is covered by the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), at a grocery store in Baltimore earlier in November.

Overview

  • Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the department will begin freezing federal SNAP administrative funding next week for Democratic-led states that have not turned over requested recipient data.
  • USDA now says 28 states and Guam have provided the data, while 22 states — including California, New York and Minnesota — have not complied.
  • The department is seeking names, addresses, Social Security numbers, immigration status and transaction records, a scope that states challenge as intrusive and risky for privacy.
  • A preliminary injunction issued in October by Judge Maxine M. Chesney blocks enforcement for suing states, with state responses due around Dec. 8 and a USDA appeal deadline near Dec. 15.
  • USDA says benefit payments are not targeted, only state administrative funds, yet experts warn reduced federal support could force staffing cuts and slow applications and recertifications for a program serving roughly 42 million people.