White House moves to freeze SNAP aid in Democrat-led states over data dispute
Brooke Rollins on SNAP: “21 states, including California, New York, and Minnesota, blue states, continue to say no. So as of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states until they comply.” pic.twitter.com/Ht12wRKr5x
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) December 2, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC: The Trump administration announced on Tuesday, December 2, that it plans to halt the flow of federal SNAP dollars to most Democratic-led states beginning next week, escalating a months-long standoff over a disputed federal data request.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told a Cabinet meeting that while 29 Republican-led states complied with the Agriculture Department’s demand for recipients’ names and immigration status, 21 states, including California, New York and Minnesota, refused.
Trump admin halts funds to states over SNAP data compliance
The Agriculture Department first sought the information in February, arguing that it was necessary to “root out … fraud.”
“As of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states, until they comply and allow us to partner with them to root out this fraud and protect the American taxpayer,” Rollins said at the White House.
Democratic officials accused the White House of political motives, and the announcement triggered immediate pushback.
Democrats blast Trump administration for political motives
New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X, “Genuine question: Why is the Trump Administration so hellbent on people going hungry?”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the move an attempt to “punish … political rivals,” adding: “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.”
21 states and the District of Columbia sued earlier this year to block the requirement, accusing the administration of seeking to “amass Americans’ sensitive, personal data and misuse that data,” pointing to existing data-sharing deals involving the IRS, HHS and ICE.
Judge blocks administration from withholding SNAP payments
A federal judge in San Francisco issued a preliminary injunction in October barring the administration from withholding SNAP payments from states that refused to turn over the requested data.
Although the Agriculture Department has until December 15 to appeal the ruling, the judge has already rejected a request to pause the injunction while an appeal is being considered, raising questions about how the administration would justify the planned funding cutoff.
Funding for SNAP briefly lapsed last month during the historic government shutdown, leaving millions without food assistance until the impasse ended on November 12.
The shutdown also derailed a Supreme Court challenge over whether the administration’s earlier effort to withhold SNAP funds was lawful.
