The Trump administration threatened to withhold federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) funds from 21 Democrat-led states, including California, if they do not comply and provide data about the program’s recipients.
During a Cabinet meeting on December 2, 2025, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the administration “will begin to stop moving federal funds” to the 21 states that have refused to share data on recipients.
In February 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asked for SNAP recipients’ data from all states “for the first time” to let the agency partner with the states to “root out fraud,” Rollins said during the meeting.
In its executive order issued in March 2025, the USDA requested for “unfettered access to comprehensive data” as it would help eliminate “bureaucratic duplication and inefficiency” and enhance “the Government’s ability to detect overpayments and fraud.”
Such access, she said, would protect the actual recipients of food stamps and also protect taxpayers.
A total of 29 “red” states shared the data, whereas 21 “blue” states, including California, New York, and Minnesota, did not comply with the USDA’s request, she said.
NO DATA, NO MONEY — it’s that simple.
If a state won’t share data on criminal use of SNAP benefits, it won’t get a dollar of federal SNAP administrative funding.
Let’s see which states stand for accountability and which are just protecting their bribery schemes. 🤔💸 pic.twitter.com/Y1UXXDOoao
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) December 2, 2025
Sharing a video of her speech on X, Rollins wrote, “No data, no money – it’s that simple.”
If a state does not share data on “criminal use of SNAP benefits,” it will not receive “a dollar of federal SNAP administrative funding,” she wrote.
“Let’s see which states stand for accountability and which are just protecting their bribery schemes,” she added.
SNAP is the country’s largest nutrition assistance program and its annual federal cost in FY 2024 was $99.8 billion, according to the USDA. In the fiscal year 2024, more than 41 million people benefited from SNAP every month, accounting for 12.3% of U.S. residents, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service.
Reacting to Rollins’ remarks, California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X that “cutting programs that feed American children is morally repugnant.”
“For those asking, we no longer take the Trump Administration’s words at face value – we’ll see what they actually do in reality,” Newsom wrote.
For those asking, we no longer take the Trump Administration’s words at face value — we’ll see what they actually do in reality.
Cutting programs that feed American children is morally repugnant. https://t.co/ePpKmrq2n7
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) December 2, 2025
Voicing her opinion along similar lines, New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X, “Genuine question: Why is the Trump Administration so hellbent on people going hungry?”
SNAP benefits were partially distributed in November and were reduced to 50% of the current allotment due to the limited availability of federal funding and orders from two federal courts.
On November 1, 2025, President Trump threatened to withhold SNAP benefits and said funds would be distributed only when the federal government shutdown ends.
Twenty-one states (including California) and Washington D.C. sued the Trump administration for suspending SNAP benefits, despite the availability of contingency funds. A federal court ruled in favor of the states, ordering the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits.
Later, the White House clarified that the administration is complying with the court order and drawing from an “emergency fund.”
The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service used $4.65 billion from its contingency fund for November SNAP benefits, according to a federal court filing.
SNAP is known as CalFresh in California and is overseen by the California Department of Social Services. An average of 5.5 million Californians use CalFresh benefits every month, according to the lawsuit.
California issues roughly $1.1 billion in federal CalFresh benefits to eligible citizens every month, according to a letter issued by the California Department of Social Services.
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No doubt the accountability and fraud problems are on the federal administration’s side.
What’s wrong with accountability? We deserve it. Common sense stuff.
Only a fool would trust the Trump admin to do what they say they’ll do. They have proven that they are incompetent as well as untrustworthy stewards of ANY public resources, including personal data, and they are not the slightest bit interested in efficiency or fairness. They will use the data to hurt people, plain and simple, and if they don’t get the data they will hurt people a different way. Accountability is the furthest thing from their minds.
Yet facts suggest just the opposite.
Continuing your habit of ignoring facts, and heeding fantasy.
You don’t understand what that word means. You make that clear every time you post here.
if you truly believe your statement, why do you support an administration that is all about non transparency and accountability? this admin just kicks the can away and blames everyone around them. it’s a bit much tbh
No doubt there fraud being committed and Gavin doesn’t want it exposed. $1,000,000,000 fraud exposed in Minn recently with no accountability!
Somehow there’s a connection? Why not tie it to, say, Nigeria instead?
Ah, yeah, the responsibility was a mix of state and feds. Both dropped the ball.
The choice the State of California is making is to not give up publicly available data and not get SNAP funds. Seems that we should be providing the requested data and get SNAP funds. We have, or should have, nothing to hide. If we don’t provide the data it’s “Houston, we have a problem”
Exactly. What are these few states hiding? It is afterall federal funding they’re receiving. If the feds ask for data, just give it to them. It says something of the states that can’t just do that. They’re either not keeping track of where the money is going or there is fraud that they’re hiding. Either way, there is a problem.
Come up with any imaginary conspiracy theories you want about the Feds. It won’t help.
“They’re either not keeping track of where the money is going or there is fraud that they’re hiding. Either way, there is a problem.”
Bifurcation:
A person commits the fallacy of bifurcation when he or she claims that there are only two mutually exclusive possibilities—when, in fact, there is a third option. For this reason the fallacy is also known as the either-or fallacy and the false dilemma.
grp000: Bifurcation or not, the State of California, as well as all states, must provide the data as to where the SNAP funds are going or lose funding for that program. Maybe with bifurcation there is another option to (1) receiving or (2) not receiving SNAP funds. At the end of the day, it’s better for those who are currently receiving SNAP benefits if Cali simply hands over the data to the Feds. Some believe that not giving data to the Feds is “hurting” Trump, but it’s ONLY hurting those who are in need. Give up the data if there’s nothing to hide.
Ok, I see what you’re saying. So what do YOU think then is the reason for withholding data on where billions of federal tax dollars to these particular states actually went? If they have the data, as you are seeming to be claiming, why won’t they release it?
federal funding that the state of california has paid hundreds of millions into. we are a doner state for taxes and we support the majority of other states including red states. we do not need to hand over any more data to the feds than what was required for the individuals to get on the program. period.
That’s a losing argument dude. You’re simultaneously saying CA makes so much money for the feds that it’s an A+ state, and then uh-oh we need a bunch of it back but can’t logically account for where it’s going…
Huh. Houston, we have a problem…
That made no sense, whatsoever.
But, from you, that’s nothing new.
There is now ample evidence that the Trump administration would use that information for purposes it is not intended for, such as targeting people for deportation, just like they are *currently* doing with driver registration data. They claim to be looking for redundancies and “waste/fraud”, but those terms are never objectively defined and will only be interpreted in such a way as to deny families access to food. They are not trustworthy stewards of data, as the entire DOGE fiasco amply demonstrates.
Really? Ample evidence? Where’s that? Sounds like a progressive TDS talking point. But hey, the bottom line is talk is cheap.
Unless states that receive MASSIVE federal funding for this program want to do things right by being accountable that they are actually spending out money in the right way, well, they may have a real problem. There are lots of folks that do need this money. No one is arguing that. Why can’t our state and a couple others account for how they’re managing it? Common sense stuff.
Everytime you say “TDS” it’s like saying “I’m too dumb to engage in discourse like an adult.”
The same people still crying about Obama and Biden and blaming the “libs” for everything while they cheer for a rapist who pardons drug traffickers and protects child rapists are saying “TDS” as if it’s some valid response.
Dumb. So, so very dumb.
Yeah, I’d say there is ample evidence, and thanks for asking. Stay curious and I hope you enjoy this small sample of fact-sourced articles from this year. There are LOTs more.
Just kidding! I know you won’t read a word of it.
What is/was DOGE doing with our data:
https://ash.harvard.edu/resources/understanding-doge-and-your-data/
Trump demanding by EO that his and Musk’s hand-picked and untrained loyalists have broad access to federal data
https://fedscoop.com/trump-executive-order-data-sharing-information-silos/
Trump using IRS data to target immigrants
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/13/nx-s1-5396461/courts-irs-tax-undocumented-immigrants
Using driver reg data to search for immigrants committing voter fraud:
https://www.chilkatvalleynews.com/2025/11/28/homeland-security-wants-state-drivers-license-data-for-sweeping-citizenship-program/
DOGE fighting to stay secret and unaccountable
https://www.chilkatvalleynews.com/2025/11/28/homeland-security-wants-state-drivers-license-data-for-sweeping-citizenship-program/
Trump’s “digital watchtower’ efforts in general
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-trump-administration-is-using-americans-sensitive-data-to-build-a-digital-watchtower/
KIRK – thanks for these! Yeah, BASIC not only is unable to read above a 6th grade level (and that’s a stretch), he’s too lazy.
Maybe you can summarize these in crayon for him/her?
you do realize they have zero authority or legality to do this and it’ll just fail like 3/4s of what they do. Congress holds the purse, not the pres.
that’s on Gov U-Haul