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Some say they still haven't received their SNAP benefits
Jack Willard is dealing with a long-term brain injury which makes it tough for him to use the phone or a computer. He says each time he called about getting his SNAP benefits, he’d get an automated voice, which would get him nowhere.
(FOX 2) - The Trump Administration plans to withhold SNAP food aid from recipients living in Democratic-controlled states after requests for data on those enrolled in the program were rejected.
The plan was announced during the president's cabinet meeting after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the department would be withholding benefits to states because of requests for names and immigration status of aid recipients being denied.
Money would be blocked from going out starting next week. Targeted states include those that have rebuffed the Trump Administration over the data request, including Michigan.
Rollins said cooperation with the Trump administration was necessary to root out fraud within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
There was no immediate list of what states were targeted over the plan. Rollins did say that 29 states agreed to hand over data, who she called "the red states."
"But 21 states, including California, New York, and Minnesota — blue states — continue to say no," she said. "So as of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving funds into those states until they comply."
The backstory:
SNAP benefits entered the spotlight this year after a government shutdown threatened to pause the country's largest food assistance program being issued to recipients.
Approximately 1 in 8 people rely on SNAP to help buy groceries. In Michigan, about 1.4 million residents receive SNAP benefits, of which 43% are families with children.
Some states, including Michigan, have sued over the administration's request for data on its citizens, which was made in February, which she said was for rooting out fraud.
Michigan sues Trump over private data request
In July, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel asked a court to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture from forcing states to turn over personal data about those on the SNAP program.
Nessel joined a coalition of 21 states to block the federal government's request for data.
SNAP applicants provide their private information with the understanding it would not be used for unrelated purposes, the attorney general said.
"USDA has suggested that it could withhold administrative funding for the program if states fail to comply—effectively forcing states to choose between protecting their residents’ privacy and providing critical nutrition assistance to those in need," Nessel said in a news release at the time.
The Source: The Trump Administration Cabinet meeting, news releases, and previous reporting were cited for this story.