WASHINGTON: The administration of US President Donald Trump will halt federal payments that help administer the food stamp program to Democratic-led states next week if they do not turn over aid recipient data, according to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Democratic state and federal officials have resisted an effort by the US Department of Agriculture to collect data like immigration status and social security numbers of recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps, calling it an unlawful privacy violation. The USDA has said it will use the data to root out fraud.
“As of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states until they comply,” Rollins said at a Tuesday Cabinet meeting at the White House.
“If a state won’t share data on criminal use of SNAP benefits, it won’t get a dollar of federal SNAP administrative funding,” Rollins later posted on X.
While SNAP benefits are funded by the federal government, states administer the program and each maintain their own recipient records. The USDA and states split SNAP administrative costs. Trump’s fiscal legislation known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” will eventually shift more of the administrative cost and some of the cost of benefits to states.
The Democratic governors of 22 states and the District of Columbia sued the USDA in July over the data demand. A federal judge ruled in October that the USDA could not deny SNAP funding to the states because of their failure to submit data.
The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Twenty-eight states have so far submitted the data to the USDA, according to a November letter sent from the agency to states and included in court filings.
Nearly 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits.
Trump to halt some food aid support for Democratic-led states over data fight
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Trump to halt some food aid support for Democratic-led states over data fight
- Twenty-eight states have so far submitted the data to the USDA, according to a November letter sent from the agency to states and included in court filings
Greek police detain 313 in raid at university after mob attacked police
- Such attacks against riot police near the university campus are not uncommon
- Riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to beat back the attackers
THESSALONIKI, Greece: Authorities in Greece on Saturday detained 313 people in a raid on the university campus of the country’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki, after riot police were attacked by mobs of people hurling more than 100 Molotov cocktails.
Greek police said roving groups of people wearing hoods emerged from the campus of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the predawn hours Saturday to attack a squad of riot police. The unit is usually deployed some distance from the campus to quell any disturbances after all-night parties that take place on university grounds.
Police said all 313 people were released without being charged.
Such attacks against riot police near the university campus are not uncommon but it’s the first time that so many people were detained after such a clash during which an unusually high number of firebombs was used.
Riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to beat back the attackers. One officer was taken to a military hospital for burns to his face and leg while a 21-year-old civilian was treated for respiratory problems, police said.
The university said in a statement that off-campus “extremists” in conjunction with some individuals from within university grounds had committed the attacks. They said an investigation is underway to determine if any students had taken part. They added that no permission had been granted for any party to take place on university grounds.
