DOJ Sues Four States for Withholding SNAP Data, Citing Need to Combat Fraud and Protect Taxpayers

The U.S. Department of Justice filed lawsuits on June 26, 2026, against the states of Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnesota. The suits seek court orders compelling the states to turn over five years of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applicant and recipient data to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The lawsuits allege that these states have refused repeated federal requests for the data, which USDA needs to verify eligibility, calculate proper benefit levels, and detect waste, fraud, and abuse in the program. SNAP provides food assistance to low-income households and distributes billions of dollars annually in federal benefits.

USDA first requested the data last year. Twenty-eight other states and jurisdictions complied and shared information that identified billions of dollars in annual overpayments and fraudulent claims. The four noncompliant states received a follow-up request in May 2026 but again refused to provide the records.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated: “The American people deserve a government that is transparent about how it spends their hard-earned tax dollars. 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.”

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins described the states’ refusal as “shameless defiance of federal law” and noted that USDA has worked with compliant states to remove criminals and fraudulent activity from the program. She emphasized that no state should stand between the federal government and information needed to protect taxpayer funds.

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said the department is committed to combating waste, fraud, and abuse in federal benefits programs. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division added that states accepting hundreds of millions in federal SNAP funds must provide basic transparency on how those dollars are spent.

SNAP is administered jointly by federal and state governments. Federal law requires states to cooperate with USDA oversight, including data sharing for program integrity. The lawsuits seek injunctive relief to enforce compliance rather than monetary damages at this stage.

The actions align with broader Trump administration efforts to reduce fraud in entitlement programs. Officials have highlighted cases where ineligible recipients or organized schemes have diverted benefits intended for vulnerable Americans. Data from compliant states has already led to identification and recovery efforts targeting improper payments.

The four states named in the suits have not publicly detailed their reasons for withholding the data in the Justice Department filings. Previous resistance in some states has involved claims related to privacy laws or administrative burden, though federal officials maintain that the requested information falls squarely within USDA’s statutory authority for program administration.

If successful, the lawsuits would require the states to produce the records, enabling USDA to conduct comprehensive reviews for fraud patterns, duplicate claims, and eligibility errors across multiple years. This could result in identification of additional improper payments and strengthened safeguards against future abuse.

The filings underscore the administration’s focus on accountability in federal spending. SNAP serves millions of Americans but has faced longstanding criticism for error rates and vulnerabilities to fraud. By compelling data transparency from noncompliant states, the Justice Department aims to close loopholes that allow taxpayer resources to be misdirected.

The cases are filed in federal district courts in the respective states. They represent part of a wider push to ensure states fulfill their obligations under cooperative federal programs. Similar enforcement actions could follow if other jurisdictions continue to resist data requests.

Officials have indicated that protecting the integrity of SNAP and similar programs remains a priority to ensure benefits reach intended recipients while minimizing losses to fraud and waste. The lawsuits send a clear message that states cannot selectively comply with federal oversight requirements while receiving substantial program funding.