On August 3, 2026, New York Attorney General Letitia James, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta co-led a coalition of 23 attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania challenging the Trump administration over unlawful policy changes that would give the administration broad access to sensitive private information of millions of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.  

Congress created TANF as part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. The law requires the federal government to provide block grants to states, territories, and tribal governments, which then have broad authority to use the funds for a variety of programs to assist low-income families with children. TANF funds support childcare subsidies, emergency housing for families fleeing domestic violence, emergency food assistance, support for grandparents caring for children, and other critical services. TANF currently provides over $16 billion every year to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several territories and tribal governments for these programs.   

In June 2026, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) issued a notice claiming to dramatically expand its oversight of state TANF programs, including by allowing ACF to share detailed records on TANF recipients with other federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Under ACF’s new policy, TANF recipients’ Social Security numbers, addresses, immigration status, and other sensitive personal data would be illegally shared across the federal government and even potentially with private organizations.   

The law enacting TANF specifically requires states, not the federal government, to be responsible for verifying TANF applicants’ eligibility for benefits. Yet ACF now claims the agency has broad authority to oversee states’ TANF programs and share recipients’ private data with other federal agencies to double check their immigration status. 

The coalition argues that this policy would cause significant harm to the vulnerable communities that rely on TANF funds.  The lawsuit seeks a court order declaring ACF’s policy illegal and preventing it from being implemented. 

Instead of helping families struggling with the rising cost of living, this administration is trying to turn antipoverty programs against the people they’re supposed to serve. TANF funds provide critical assistance to help families put food on the table, find safe housing, and make ends meet, but this administration is weaponizing TANF to illegally use millions of people’s most private personal information. Programs like TANF are a lifeline for New York families and I won’t let this administration turn them into a tool for targeting the most vulnerable.Attorney General Letitia James