NORTHERN MICHIGAN – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), challenging its demand that states hand over personal data about millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients.
SNAP is a federally funded, state-run program providing billions in food assistance to low-income families. Applicants share personal information with the understanding—protected by long-standing federal and state laws—that it will not be used for unrelated purposes. USDA has threatened to withhold administrative funding if states refuse to comply, forcing them to choose between protecting residents’ privacy and providing critical nutrition aid.
Michigan distributes approximately $254 million in monthly SNAP benefits. Any disruption in federal support could have dire consequences for families who rely on the program.
In the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the coalition argues that USDA’s demands violate multiple federal privacy laws and the U.S. Constitution.
“This is yet another attempt by the Trump Administration to illegally use personal, sensitive data to fuel the president’s political agenda under the guise of fighting fraud and abuse,” Nessel said.
“My colleagues and I will not allow this administration to trample on constitutional protections or unlawfully exploit the SNAP program in this way. Michigan families deserve to have their personal information protected, and I will keep fighting until they receive exactly that.”
For six decades, states like Michigan have administered SNAP with strong safeguards to ensure eligibility. USDA itself has praised SNAP as having “one of the most rigorous quality control systems in the federal government.” Those systems have never required states to share personally identifying data without clear restrictions on use or redistribution.
Yet in May 2025, USDA demanded states provide extensive data on all SNAP recipients—social security numbers, home addresses, and more—going back five years. Even one year’s worth of data includes sensitive information on tens of millions, including about 1.4 million Michiganders. USDA claims this is to prevent fraud, despite its own findings showing SNAP’s strong integrity.
The coalition asserts this demand is part of a broader effort by the federal government to amass personal data under President Trump’s administration. Public reports indicate federal agencies are building massive databases for undisclosed purposes, including immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security has already accessed IRS and Health and Human Services data—such as medical details of Medicaid recipients—which Nessel has also challenged in court. USDA’s demand appears to be the next step in this data collection campaign.
The USDA’s actions disregard legal limits on the use of SNAP data, which can only be shared for program administration or under very limited conditions—not met here.
The lawsuit contends that USDA’s demands:
-
Violate multiple federal privacy laws
-
Ignore public comment requirements
-
Exceed USDA’s legal authority
-
Breach the Spending Clause of the Constitution
The coalition is asking the court to declare USDA’s demands unlawful and block the administration from conditioning SNAP funding on states’ compliance.
A copy of the suit will be available on the AGNews website once filed.
