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The lawsuit challenges a USDA directive requiring states to share sensitive information on millions of low-income residents or risk losing federal funding.
7-30-2025 1:02pm
NJ Sues Trump Admin Over Demand for SNAP Recipients’ Personal Data
NEW JERSEY - New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has joined 19 other attorneys general and the Governor of Kentucky in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over its recent demand that states provide extensive personal information about recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The coalition argues that the federal directive violates multiple privacy laws and constitutional provisions while threatening to withhold critical administrative funding if states refuse to comply.
SNAP, a federally funded but state-administered program, provides food assistance to millions of low-income families nationwide. In New Jersey alone, the program serves more than 824,000 individuals. The USDA’s May 2025 request seeks Social Security numbers, home addresses, and other personally identifying details for all SNAP recipients dating back five years.
Attorney General Platkin said the state would not comply with what he described as an unlawful data collection effort.
“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. 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,” Attorney General Platkin said.
The lawsuit claims that the USDA’s actions exceed its statutory authority, violate federal privacy protections, and bypass required public comment procedures. It also argues that conditioning federal SNAP administrative funding on compliance with the data request violates the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Federal funding covers approximately half of New Jersey’s annual SNAP administrative costs, estimated at $190 million, meaning any delay or reduction in funding could disrupt operations and affect residents relying on food assistance.
SNAP has long been recognized for its rigorous quality control measures to prevent fraud, according to USDA’s own findings. State and federal agencies have historically shared limited information necessary for program administration, but they have not been required to turn over massive amounts of personal data without restrictions on its use.
The lawsuit contends that the federal government’s demand is part of a broader effort to collect personal information from various federal and state agencies. Similar concerns have been raised in other lawsuits involving federal data collection from Medicaid recipients.
Joining New Jersey in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, along with the Governor of Kentucky. The coalition is asking the court to declare the USDA’s data demand unlawful and prevent the federal government from tying SNAP funding to compliance with the directive.
