On July 28, 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James co-led a coalition of 21 state attorneys general and the state of Kentucky in filing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) demand that states turn over personal and sensitive information about tens of millions of Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) recipients.  

SNAP is a federally funded, state-administered program that provides billions of dollars in food assistance to tens of millions of low-income families across the country. SNAP applicants provide their personal information on the understanding — backed by state and federal laws — that their information will not be used for purposes unrelated to food assistance. For 60 years, states have administered SNAP alongside the federal government using robust processes that ensure only eligible individuals receive benefits. Those processes have never required states to turn over sensitive, personally identifying information about state residents. Yet in May 2025, USDA made an unprecedented demand that states turn over massive amounts of personal information on all SNAP recipients dating back five years. The USDA has threatened states with potential SNAP funding cuts if they do not comply. 

In their lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that the administration’s new demands are unconstitutional and violate the Administrative Procedure Act by requiring states to violate federal laws and regulations. The attorneys general contend that the highly sensitive data sought—which includes home addresses, Social Security numbers, recent locations, immigration statuses, and more—will likely be shared across federal agencies and used for immigration enforcement, in violation of the law. They are seeking a court judgment declaring the administration’s new policy illegal and preventing enforcement.  

This unprecedented demand that states turn over SNAP data violates all kinds of state and federal privacy laws and further breaks the trust between the federal government and the people it serves. The President doesn’t get to change the rules in the middle of the game, no matter how much he may want to. While he may be comfortable breaking promises to the American people, California is not. We will not comply with this illegal demand. We’ll see the President in court. Attorney General Rob Bonta