In another battle involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, the Trump administration is threatening to withhold funds from blue or Democratic-leaning states that fail to submit data on their immigration status by Dec. 8, the Associated Press reports.
During a Dec. 2 cabinet meeting, Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins said withholding funds could occur because some states are refusing to submit requested data, such as the names and immigration statuses of SNAP recipients. “We have sent Democrat States yet another request for data, and if they fail to comply, they will be provided with a formal warning that USDA will pull their administrative funds,” the agency said in a statement.
Rollins claims the effort is to sniff out program fraud. Letters were sent to the states in late November 2025 to pressure compliance; however, the Dec. 8 deadline was agreed upon.
The District of Columbia and 22 states sued the federal government over the request, which was first made in February 2025. In a successful suit, a San Francisco-based federal judge banned the administration from collecting such data from those states. Federal law permits the USDA to hold back some money states receive for SNAP for failing to comply; however, experts like Georgetown University law professor David Super say “there’s never authority to withhold the SNAP benefits and, in this case, there’s also no authority to withhold the administrative funding.”
According to NBC News, roughly 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits, also known as food assistance or food stamps. Rollins revealed that 29 Republican-led states have complied, including North Carolina, which has a Democratic governor. But states like California, New York, and Minnesota, which are known to be on President Donald Trump’s radar, haven’t budged in their refusal.
Leaders of those states reacted to Rollins’ threats with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul asking on X, “Why is the Trump Administration so hellbent on people going hungry?”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison labeled Rollins’ statement as a way to “punish … political rivals.” “It’s nothing short of ridiculous that the Trump administration is once again trying to withhold SNAP funding over data sharing after a court clearly barred them from doing so,” the AG said.
The battle is a continuation of the lengthy lapse in SNAP benefits in November 2025, caused by the most prolonged government shutdown in history, leaving recipients scrambling for food. Benefits were reinstated after the Supreme Court ruled on whether the administration’s attempt to withhold funding was lawful.
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