Judge blocks USDA collection of SNAP data in 21 states

A federal judge has issued an injunction blocking the Department of Agriculture from collecting the personal data of individuals applying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in 21 states and Washington, D.C.

U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney in California issued her ruling against the the USDA on Thursday after several states raised concerns that the proposed data sharing could expose applicants’ sensitive information, such as income, family data and potentially immigration status to support mass deportations. The court found that USDA had not put adequate safeguards in place to protect the information from unauthorized access or harmful use.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March aimed at reducing information silos, bypassing established privacy protections. In July, the USDA requested data from SNAP users, including Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and benefit amounts in order to create recipient database “to ensure the integrity of government programs” and “verify eligibility based on immigration status.”

According to the Economic Research Service, the benefits program served roughly 41.7 million participants across the U.S. per month in 2024, two-thirds of which are children, adults over age 60 or people with disabilities.

The judge’s ruling, which prevents the federal agency from moving forward with its planned policy until it can show stronger privacy measures, follows months of states and advocacy groups pushing back against the federal government, arguing that sharing SNAP user data could lead to misuse, discrimination or surveillance of vulnerable populations.

Last week, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit against Gov. Laura Kelly over her refusal to share the personal data of 730,000 SNAP recipients with the federal government. In May, advocacy groups sent a letter to financial services providers urging them to refuse the federal government’s request to share the sensitive personal information of SNAP users.