In September, a federal judge ruled in favor of the states and temporarily blocked the USDA from withholding funds over the data request. It’s unclear how Tuesday’s comment from Rollins impacts this litigation.
In a statement, a USDA spokesperson said the agency has sent another request to the remaining states to turn over the data. States choosing not to comply will receive a formal warning that the USDA will revoke administrative funds.
“We just came from a government shutdown that has really weakened individuals’ trust in government, and this will continue the threats to privacy, undermine the confidence in SNAP, and will just create a chill of discouraging eligible individuals from applying,” said Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director at the Food Research and Action Center.
During the 43-day shutdown, SNAP benefits were delayed for the first time in the program’s history after the USDA declined to voluntarily tap into the program’s contingency fund or other funding sources. Since the shutdown ended and benefits were restored, Rollins has highlighted efforts to crack down on fraud, waste and abuse in the program in press appearances and social media.
Further complicating things, states operate on fixed budgets and cannot easily absorb sudden cuts to federal funding, Plata-Nino said, particularly while they are enacting other Republican policy changes and recovering from the shutdown. (Link to this post.)
