Feds look at new way to get food stamp data from Washington and other states
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The Trump administration is taking a new approach in its attempt to snatch personal data of food stamp recipients from states.
This story was originally published by Washington State Standard.
The Trump administration is taking a new approach in its attempt to snatch personal data of food stamp recipients from states.
The latest move has renewed worries from advocates that the information could be used for immigration enforcement as President Donald Trump ups the pressure for more deportations.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture filed a notice in the Federal Register about creating a new database of information from states and the third-party payment processors that help the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program run.
The agency wants states’ data on SNAP participants and transactions. This follows Trump’s executive orders seeking to get data from state programs that receive federal funding and to stop that money from going to immigrants without legal status.
The Department of Agriculture plans to use the database to “ensure the integrity of Government programs, including by verifying SNAP recipient eligibility against federally maintained databases, identifying and eliminating duplicate enrollments, and performing additional eligibility and program integrity checks,” according to the Federal Register notice.
Records shared would include names, social security numbers, dates of birth and addresses.
The Trump administration has made strides in recent months to obtain state-level data that could be used to target immigrants without legal status. Washington and other states this week sued the White House over sharing personal data of Medicaid recipients with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“This administration is looking for a lot of data that it shouldn’t have,” said Claire Lane, director of the Seattle-based Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition.
To apply for SNAP, applicants must give names and demographic information for the other people who live in their household, but they can omit information for family members not eligible, like immigrants without legal status.
“We want to make sure that people have confidence that when they ask for help, they’re not going to get in trouble, and other people they care about aren’t going to get in trouble,” Lane said. “The chilling effect is real, and we want to make sure that people aren’t going hungry because of fear.”
In March, the most recent month for which data is available, over 908,000 Washingtonians received a total of $168 million in SNAP benefits. That’s more than 10% of the state’s residents. Nationwide, the program serves upward of 42 million people.
The federal government funds SNAP, which helps low-income residents pay for food with monthly benefits loaded onto Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, cards. States run the program, with the assistance of third-party processors.
Washington also provides state-funded food assistance to legal resident immigrants who aren’t eligible for SNAP benefits.
The Trump administration is already in hot water over a request in May for states and their processors to hand over personal data of SNAP recipients and applicants going back five years. The agriculture department backed off after nonprofits and others sued over privacy and presidential overreach concerns.
Washington’s processor, Fidelity Information Services, had told its state clients it planned to cooperate with the Trump administration. But the state’s Department of Social and Health Services, which runs SNAP here, told Fidelity not to share Washington data. Other states similarly did not comply.
The department specifically cites “verifying eligibility based on immigration status” as a rationale for the new database.
The agency, which didn’t respond to a request for comment, believes the system complies with federal privacy law.
Plans for the system opened for public comment last week.
A spokesperson for the state Department of Social and Health Services said the agency was drafting comments to send to the federal government, but declined to comment further.
Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com.
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