Press Releases

LOWELL, MA – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02), Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), and Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) led 30 House Democrats in demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on its handling of the personal data of Americans who applied for or received food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“For months, this Administration has been on an unprecedented quest to collect and consolidate as much personal data from the American people as possible,” the lawmakers wrote. “Initiated by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and bolstered by executive actions, including Executive Order 14243 on ‘Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos,’ the administration has combined the sensitive information of millions of individuals, creating major cybersecurity risks, endangering Americans’ privacy, and repeatedly violating the letter and spirit of longstanding laws, like the Privacy Act of 1974.”

Last month, USDA notified states that they would be required to turn over sensitive data about millions of Americans as part of its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to collect and consolidate as much personal data as possible. The SNAP data requested by the administration includes Americans’ Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, employment and citizenship statuses, incomes, health information, history of substance abuse treatment, paternity, and history of child support payments. In its request, USDA wrote that the data would be used to “ensure program integrity” and is the “only way” to detect improper payments, despite the rollout of privacy-preserving initiatives like its National Accuracy Clearinghouse.

In the lawmakers’ letter, they warn about the serious risks the Department’s demand poses for data breaches, hacking, and eroding trust in SNAP.

“If Americans begin to lose trust in state SNAP agencies and EBT processors as good-faith stewards of their personal data, it will become increasingly difficult–and costly–to effectively administer SNAP. Americans may even forgo participation in SNAP entirely. These are unacceptable and, frankly, entirely avoidable outcomes,” the lawmakers concluded.

A copy of the letter sent today can be accessed HERE.

Additional co-signers include Representatives Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Judy Chu (CA-28), Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Diana DeGette (CO–01), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Julie Johnson (TX-32), George Latimer (NY-16), Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), and Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07).

This request follows efforts Trahan has led regarding DOGE’s alleged mishandling of Americans’ sensitive data housed in the Treasury Department’s payment system and separately at the National Labor Relations Board. In March, Trahan announced that she will be introducing legislation to rewrite the Privacy Act for the first time since its passage in 1974.

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