Judge Blocks Punishment Over States' SNAP Data | JQJO

Democratic-led states won a reprieve as U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney temporarily barred the Trump administration from withholding billions in SNAP administrative funds from states refusing to turn over recipients’ personal data. USDA says the unprecedented demand—names, addresses, Social Security numbers and more—aims to fight fraud; most Republican-led states have already complied. Plaintiffs argue the request is unlawful and risks broader surveillance and immigration enforcement. USDA has run shared records through DHS’s SAVE system and cites signs of waste, but states dispute the analysis. The order extends an earlier restraining measure while the lawsuit proceeds.