California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with a coalition of 14 attorneys general, has criticized the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its demand that states provide personal information about food stamp recipients. The USDA’s proposal includes sharing this data with other federal agencies for purposes unrelated to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a program providing food assistance to low-income families across the country.
Attorney General Bonta expressed concern over the Trump Administration’s actions, stating: “The Trump Administration continues to wage war on some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, deploying invasive and unlawful tactics in the process to intimidate them from accessing services to which they are lawfully entitled.” He emphasized that Californians should not have to choose between having enough to eat and protecting their privacy.
Since President Trump’s return to office in January, there have been reports of federal officials collecting large amounts of personal data for undisclosed purposes. The Department of Homeland Security has already obtained private information from other federal agencies, including details on Medicaid recipients. The USDA’s request for SNAP data appears to be part of this effort.
In May 2025, the USDA asked states for extensive personal information on SNAP applicants and recipients. In June, it published a notice indicating plans to share this data across federal systems as directed by an executive order from President Trump.
The attorneys general argue that these actions threaten privacy and violate restrictions on SNAP data use. They point out that existing auditing mechanisms already keep fraud rates low without needing such data collection. They also highlight The Paperwork Reduction Act, which aims to minimize government costs related to information handling.
Bonta and his colleagues urge the USDA not to overlook SNAP’s primary purpose: fighting hunger. The comment letter opposing these measures is supported by attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.
