The federal government is suing Minnesota for withholding SNAP data in ongoing federal standoff.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed the suit as Minnesota and three other states refuse to share detailed applicant data for the SNAP food assistance program.
The clash was triggered by a controversial 2025 White House directive. The Justice Department claims the data received from the compliant 28 states indicate there are billions of dollars per year in SNAP funds going to overpayments and fraud.
“The American people deserve a government that is transparent about how it spends their hard-earned tax dollars,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “These four states are thwarting USDA’s efforts to ensure that the billions of dollars in SNAP benefits they distribute every year are not lost to fraud. It’s unacceptable, suspicious, and it will not stand under this Administration.”
State officials argue the "unprecedented" demand risks exposing vulnerable immigrant families to immigration enforcement, but the USDA insists it has strict safeguards in place to prevent any data sharing.
A federal judge now must decide whether to give the states a strict seven-day deadline to hand over the information, or let them face the consequences of being in violation of federal law.
Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Michigan are the other three states named in the Justice Department suit.
