California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, challenging what he called an “unlawful and dangerous demand” for sensitive personal data about millions of Californians who receive food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, comes as part of a multi-state effort led by Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
It argues that the USDA’s directive, requiring states to turn over names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and other private information dating back five years, violates federal privacy laws and exceeds the agency’s authority.
The lawsuit also states that USDA’s request is part of a larger pattern of federal data collection, pointing to previous instances where other federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, have accessed private information from agencies such as the IRS and the Department of Health and Human Services.
California has already taken legal action over similar privacy concerns related to Medicaid data.
The USDA has warned it may withhold administrative funding from states that don’t comply. For California, that could mean losing roughly $1 billion annually, which is used to run the program.
Any delay or disruption in that funding, Bonta warned, would jeopardize critical food access for the more than five million Californians who rely on SNAP.
“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,” Bonta said in a statement. “We’re talking about kids not getting school lunch, fire victims not accessing emergency services, and other devastating, deadly consequences. That is Trump’s vision for America.”
Joining California in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, and Kentucky.
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