Judge Blocks USDA SNAP Data Demand

U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney issued a tentative ruling blocking the Donald Trump administration's U.S. Department of Agriculture from forcing states to hand over detailed information on people who have applied for or received aid from the United States===Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture had previously threatened to stop paying state administrative costs for the program if states did not comply with its demands for data, including immigration status. This ruling reinforces an earlier decision by Judge Maxine M. Chesney and prevents the federal government from acting on its letters to the states. The administration argued the data was needed to combat fraud, while states contended that sharing such data with immigration enforcement authorities would be illegal. While 22 states initially sued, some, like United States===Nevada, later complied, while others, like United States===Kansas, did not comply but also did not join the lawsuit.