Posted on 07/28/2025 5:35:17 PM PDT by artichokegrower
A coalition of 20 states and Washington, D.C. announced a new lawsuit Monday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture after the federal agency told states to turn over the detailed, personal information of food assistance applicants and their household members.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
Once you have applied and been means tested, and been accepted for food stamps, there isn’t anything left to hide, so what are the states hiding?
My problem is with the “and their household members.”
This presumes guilt of parties other than the recipient. The government might think they own the recipient, but they do NOT own the other household members.
It’s USDA money. They have every right to know where every penny is going, and if those receiving the money are doing so illegally. No info, no money.
“””My problem is with the “and their household members.”””
If you are collecting food stamps because you are poor and say you have six kids the government has the right to know who they are.
I think the eligibility testing includes the other household members
Might be nice to figure out if people actually have the household members they claim to need food to feed.
Food stamps, aka "SNAP" is based on the household, not the individual. If you want to weed out fraud, you must be able to audit those receiving the entitlement. Why shouldn't a recipient prove their household includes the 5 or 6 dependents they are claiming, and that those individuals are also eligible for those benefits?
By all means, states, forgo the Federal $ and do what you want. 10th Amendment, it’s all yours.
Some people are just helping them out and letting them stay in their home. Those people are NOT collecting food stamps and have NOT given up their constitutional privacy rights.
What this will cause is more homelessness because no one will want to offer to help anyone and bring them into their home anymore.
They want free stuff. We want to means test and certify need. Equitable trade. Where’s the problem?
What could go wrong
Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty; Forty-Fifth Conviction in the $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme
MINNEAPOLIS – Abdihakim Ali Ahmed, a Minneapolis man, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering for his role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
Fine. Just don’t send USDA assistance to those states.
It’s USDA/our tax money.
They have every right to know where every penny is going,
If those receiving the money are doing so illegally.
No info, no money.
AG James leads nationwide lawsuit against Trump admin over SNAP food benefit data demands
“I think the eligibility testing includes the other household members.”
Yes it does, handled locally and with information secure locally. But here is the problem. Let’s say you have a friend who is down and out and you offer to let him come stay with you. Even if he gets SNAP as an “individual” he has to include YOUR income as part of the “household” total.
So what they expect is for you to pay for this friend’s food even though you are not personally applying for assistance because YOU make too much even though HE makes nothing. So they punish him and you both if the household total is over the threshold.
So this discourages anyone from wanting to help each other. It will drag them into the FEDERAL control and ownership net also. this is all about federal ownership of citizens. The Democrats are going to be absolutely tickled to have this central federal control and ownership when it is their turn.
So the point I am making is only those who the recipient is actually claiming to receive SNAP should be included in the federal control snare. This is fishing for the location of others to do backgrounds on them for reasons other than SNAP.
Exactly. We have a right to know our money is being disbursed in accordance with the law. USDA (and every other department) has a legal obligation to disburse it legally. States that interfere should get zero.
With departments and agencies of the federal government actually trying to follow the law, I feel like I’m living in an alternate reality.
What about individuals who also live there but do not need assistance and are NOT counted as a recipient?
It is common for baby mommas to lie about the presence of the boyfriend/baby daddy in the household and any income he provides.
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