Democratic lawmakers are raising serious concerns about a new plan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to collect personal information from millions of food assistance recipients. In a letter sent on Wednesday, they questioned Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins about the USDA’s intentions to gather sensitive data on people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Reports from NPR revealed that the USDA is asking states to provide detailed information about SNAP recipients, including their citizenship status. This move marks a significant shift in how the government handles food assistance data, with lawmakers worried about the implications for privacy and security.
The USDA’s plan, outlined in a letter sent to states on May 6, requests names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and addresses of SNAP recipients from the past five years. This data would be collected from third-party electronic benefits transfer (EBT) processors. The USDA cited a recent executive order from President Trump that aims to give the federal government broader access to data from state programs to combat waste and fraud.
In their letter, the lawmakers, led by Representatives Lori Trahan and Angie Craig, emphasized that existing measures already help detect SNAP overpayments. They argue that there is no justifiable reason for such an extensive collection of personal information, especially given the potential risks to cybersecurity and privacy.
The lawmakers expressed worry that this initiative could damage the reputation of SNAP and erode public trust in state agencies and EBT processors. They criticized the Trump administration for its aggressive approach to data collection, claiming it threatens Americans’ privacy rights and violates laws like the Privacy Act.
The letter urges the USDA to halt any data collection efforts immediately and to return any data that may have already been gathered. Although it remains unclear whether the USDA has started collecting this data, the department is under pressure to provide answers to Congress by June 30.
In a related development, a federal lawsuit has been filed challenging the USDA’s data request, asserting that it does not comply with privacy laws. A USDA official stated in a court filing that data collection had not yet begun, and the department has instructed EBT processors not to proceed with the data transfer until further notice.
As the situation unfolds, lawmakers are seeking clarity on which states are involved, how the data will be stored, who will have access to it, and whether artificial intelligence will be used to process the information. The USDA is also being asked to confirm its compliance with federal privacy laws and to ensure the data is used solely for its intended purposes under the Food and Nutrition Act.