SNAP privacy clash erupts over data-sharing mandate under Trump administration

A sweeping new data demand by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is drawing sharp legal and political backlash, as a lawsuit filed Thursday accuses the agency of violating federal privacy laws by requiring states to hand over sensitive information about millions of food assistance recipients.

Under newly issued guidance, the USDA is compelling states and their third-party payment processors to submit names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and addresses of all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applicants and recipients dating back more than five years.

The USDA warned states that failure to comply “may trigger noncompliance procedures,” including possible legal action and the withholding of federal funds.

In response, SNAP recipients, privacy advocates, and anti-hunger organizations filed suit in federal court in Washington, DC, seeking an injunction to halt the data collection.

The plaintiffs argue that the USDA is ignoring long-established federal procedures that require public notice, comment periods, and a published privacy impact assessment before gathering such information.

“This case is part of a pattern that we're seeing from the Trump administration of agencies reaching out and grabbing the personal data of Americans,” said Madeline Wiseman, counsel at the National Student Legal Defense Network, which is representing the plaintiffs alongside Protect Democracy, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice.

The USDA has not commented on the lawsuit, but an agency spokesperson previously told to media about the data guidance.

It was meant to “remove data silos” and enforce a March 2025 executive order from President Trump aimed at “eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse” by ensuring “unfettered access” to state-run program data.

Privacy advocates and former officials warn of far-reaching consequences. A former USDA Food and Nutrition Service official described the request as “unprecedented,” noting that USDA systems were explicitly designed not to store personally identifiable information to protect recipients.

The lawsuit emerges as the Trump administration and the ad-hoc Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) intensify efforts to centralize and cross-reference federal data, ostensibly for fraud prevention — but also, critics argue, for immigration enforcement. Already, DOGE has faced scrutiny over its use of Social Security data in voter fraud investigations.

Some states, including Iowa, Ohio, and Alaska, are moving to comply with the USDA’s request, citing federal pressure.

Others, like Maryland, have begun instructing agencies and contractors to keep data confidential unless legally required to disclose it.

“This puts states in an impossible position — comply and violate privacy laws, or refuse and risk losing essential funding,” said Nicole Schneidman, a technology strategist with Protect Democracy. “States are now the front line in the fight against overreach by the federal government.”

Hunger advocates are especially concerned about the impact on immigrant families. While undocumented immigrants are not eligible for SNAP, many US-born children of immigrant parents are.

Advocates fear that expanded access to recipient data could aid federal deportation efforts, especially following the administration’s rollback of protections like Temporary Protected Status.

“If you're designing a benefits system to protect the most vulnerable, this is not the way to do it,” said Ami Fields-Meyer, a senior fellow at Harvard’s Ash Center and a former policy advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris. “But if the goal is surveillance and control, then this fits the bill perfectly.”

As federal and state tensions mount, the lawsuit could determine whether sensitive personal data from over 40 million SNAP recipients remains protected — or becomes another tool in a growing federal data apparatus.