SNAP Lawsuit Says Privacy Is at Stake

Twenty-one states, including New York, and Washington, D.C., are suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over its demand that states turn over sensitive personal information about millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. The USDA says the request, which includes Social Security numbers, home addresses, and immigration status, is part of an effort to stop “waste, fraud and abuse.”

Susan Welber, a supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society, said the USDA’s request stretches well beyond routine oversight. She believes the states’ lawsuit, filed on July 28, has merit.

“I think that, ultimately, the judge in the Northern District of California is likely to issue an injunction and stop this,” Welber said.

Welber, who has also taught poverty law at Fordham Law School for five years, questioned the USDA’s justification that the move is meant to prevent fraud. "There really is no evidence there’s a quality control problem when it comes to SNAP," she said.

She believes there are more pressing threats to the program, such as the growing issue of “skimming,” where fraudsters invisibly outfit ATMs and other places where people use benefits cards to steal their eligibility information and SNAP benefits. She cited an active court case, Chen v. USDA, which challenges the agency’s refusal to reimburse victims of these thefts.

This interview ran on the What’s What podcast from WFUV on August 4, 2025.