These are the states that Trump is threatening to take SNAP benefits away from: and the one reason why

The Trump administration could leave millions of people without their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits – formerly known as food stamps. The US government is seeking to withhold federal funds from states that refuse to give the Department of Agriculture specific beneficiary data, including names and immigration status.

This week, Brooke Rollins said that 29 Republican-led states have complied by sharing the requested information since February, while 21 states – mostly Democratic ones such as California and New York – have declined to provide it.

According to Rollins, the administration wants access to information such as immigration status to “eradicate fraud” by verifying that benefits are not going to undocumented immigrants. “NO DATA, NO MONEY: it’s that simple. If a state does not share data on the criminal use of SNAP benefits, it will not receive a single dollar of federal administrative SNAP funds. Let’s see which states stand for accountability and which simply protect their bribery schemes,” she wrote on X.

Is it legal for the Trump administration to place conditions on SNAP funds?

Keith Ellison, Minnesota’s attorney general and one of the officials potentially affected, described the Agriculture Department’s stance as an effort to punish political rivals. In his words, “once again, the Donald Trump administration is trying to take food away from needy families to punish its political opponents.” He added that this was the only logical explanation, given that the USDA itself describes SNAP as one of the federal government’s most rigorous quality-control systems.

It remains unclear whether the Trump administration will actually withhold federal SNAP funds. A current court order bars the Department of Agriculture from cutting off money to states that refuse to provide the requested data. Although the government still has time to appeal, the judge overseeing the case rejected a request to pause the injunction ahead of the December 15 appeal deadline.

Every month, the federal government, in coordination with the states, sends SNAP benefits to low-income families to purchase certain foods through an electronic benefit transfer card, or EBT. The card works like a debit card and can be used at participating grocery retailers.

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