HARTFORD, CT — In a significant legal action aimed at safeguarding personal privacy and ensuring food security, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has allied with a coalition of 22 states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration. They are contesting what they describe as an “unprecedented and illegal” request for access to the sensitive personal data of millions of Americans.
Central to the lawsuit is a broad directive issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which mandates that states must provide personally identifiable information of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. This includes Social Security numbers and home addresses from the past five years. The USDA has warned that it will withhold essential administrative funding from states that do not comply.
“This is simply yet another attempted illegal power grab by this administration,” said Connecticut Attorney General Tong. “No one knows why this data is being collected, who would be allowed to see it, or if it would even be stored correctly. We will not bow down to these baseless and reckless demands.”
“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 California 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.”
“Families should be able to get the food assistance they need without fearing that they will be targeted by this administration,” said New York Attorney General James. “I will not allow the SNAP benefits that millions of New Yorkers count on to be put at risk. We are suing today to stop this illegal policy and protect New Yorkers’ privacy and access to food assistance.”
“For many families, SNAP is the difference between having groceries on the table and going without,” said Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield. “Forcing states to hand over years of sensitive personal information puts those same families at risk. Oregonians shouldn’t have to give up their privacy to put food on the table.”
A Threat to Privacy and Food Security
SNAP—previously referred to as food stamps—is a federally funded, state-managed support system that assists millions of low-income households in purchasing groceries. In Connecticut, for instance, almost 490,000 individuals depend on this program, with the state allocated approximately $79 million each year for its administration.
For years, federal and state privacy regulations have protected SNAP information, restricting its application solely to eligibility verification and program management. States contend that the USDA’s request infringes upon these privacy safeguards, which could put at risk the sensitive data of vulnerable families.
“This is a lifeline,” said Andrea Barton Reeves, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Social Services. “For decades, we’ve administered this program with care, integrity, and respect for the confidentiality of our clients. Demanding access to sensitive personal information without transparency or safeguards is alarming.”
“All parents deserve to be able to feed their children without having their privacy violated or the fear of being deported,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. “I will not allow this Administration to fuel their cruel immigration agenda with information wrongfully taken from families who are just trying to make ends meet. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in demanding federal privacy laws are upheld.”
“The Trump administration’s illegal and cruel action threatens the privacy and well-being of our communities,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “Our office will take action to protect Washingtonians from yet more overreach by the Trump administration.”
A Nationwide Pushback
Filed in the Northern District of California, the lawsuit accuses the USDA of:
- Violating multiple federal privacy laws
- Skipping public comment procedures required for major policy changes
- Overstepping its legal authority under federal law
- Breaching the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution
The coalition is seeking a court order to block the USDA from conditioning SNAP funding on states’ compliance with these data demands.
The USDA claims the information is needed to fight fraud and abuse. But the lawsuit points to the agency’s own reports, which have praised SNAP for having “one of the most rigorous quality control systems in the federal government.” The states argue that mass data collection would do little to stop fraud—but would do plenty to invade privacy and intimidate recipients.
A Larger Pattern of Surveillance?
The lawsuit also highlights concerns regarding what seems to be a larger federal initiative aimed at establishing extensive databases of personal information. Since taking office in January, President Trump’s administration has allegedly gathered personal data from various sources, including the IRS and the Department of Health and Human Services—this includes medical records from Medicaid recipients, which Connecticut is currently contesting in court.
“This is about more than just SNAP,” said Connecticut Attorney General Tong. “This is about a pattern of surveillance—an effort to collect personal data from as many Americans as possible and use it for purposes the public hasn’t been told about.”
“We will not be intimidated by the Trump Administration’s threats to illegally withhold SNAP funding unless we agree to violate the privacy of our residents,” said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “Under New Jersey and federal law, data provided by SNAP recipients is only to be used for administering this critical program. The Trump Administration’s unprecedented demand for data such as Social Security numbers, addresses, and more is illegal and would violate the privacy of our residents. We have long been committed to fighting for data privacy, and that is why we are joining this lawsuit to protect New Jersey residents.”
“Once again this Administration is attempting to unlawfully collect sensitive personal information – this time by threatening Americans’ ability to feed their families,” said State of Rhode Island Attorney General Neronha. “More than 10% of Rhode Islanders receive SNAP benefits to help put food on the table. These are our neighbors, our colleagues, our friends. They have children who may go hungry without the program. They may need temporary assistance due to job loss or they may need sustained assistance if they don’t make enough money to make ends meet. But they don’t need their privacy violated by the federal government, especially since the program itself is widely recognized as having rigorous checks to weed out fraud and waste. We must protect our most vulnerable, and this lawsuit will do just that.”
Joining Attorney General Tong in the lawsuit are officials from California, New York, Arizona, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, and the State of Kentucky.
The coalition’s message is clear: privacy is not negotiable, and no state should be forced to choose between protecting residents’ personal data and feeding families in need.
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