Twenty states, including Arizona, have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration regarding its efforts to collect sensitive data from people who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The lawsuit claims the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent a letter to state agencies requesting access to the Social Security numbers and home addresses of SNAP participants.
“The Trump administration wants to use personal data as a weapon — not to fight fraud, but to intimidate vulnerable families and discourage them from seeking basic help,” said Attorney General Kris Mayes. “Arizona won’t be complicit in violating privacy laws or betraying the trust of Arizonans trying to feed their families.”
The USDA has suggested it could withhold funding if states don't comply with providing the requested information.
Nearly one million Arizona families use SNAP, commonly known as food stamps, which helps low-income families afford food.
This legal challenge comes as thousands of Arizonans are already at risk of losing some food assistance under the president's tax and spending bill, signed earlier this month.
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly recently met with Phoenix residents concerned about these changes.
"You know what's going to happen to Medicaid? What's going to happen to food assistance through SNAP, and there were folks here that I got the sense that these programs directly are going to affect them and their family members, and they do deserve an explanation from somebody in the United States Congress. And if their representative isn't going to do it, I'm going to go there and hopefully in time, you know, the American people will understand that we are out there fighting for them," Kelly said.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, just over 900,000 Arizonans participate in SNAP. Of those recipients, 68% are families with children, with each household member using approximately $181 per month.
The USDA maintains that the requested information would be used to verify the eligibility of SNAP recipients and ensure the program isn't being abused.
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