Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Tuesday that the federal government will begin withholding food assistance funding from 21 Democratic-led states next week if they do not comply with the administration's demand for data about program recipients.

The threat, made during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, marks the latest clash between the Trump administration and state governments over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food aid to roughly 42 million Americans.

Rollins said 29 Republican-led states have provided SNAP data to the U.S. Department of Agriculture following a request issued in February. But 21 states, including California, New York and Minnesota, have refused to comply.

"So as of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states until they comply and they tell us and allow us to partner with them to root out this fraud and to protect the American taxpayer," Rollins said.

The announcement came despite a federal court ruling in October that blocked the administration from withholding SNAP funding over the data dispute.

What the administration is requesting

The USDA ordered states in February to turn over sensitive information about SNAP recipients as part of what Rollins described as an effort to verify eligibility and detect fraud. The request includes names, immigration status, Social Security numbers, birth dates, home addresses and the total value of benefits participants have received over time.

Rollins said data from the 29 compliant states has already revealed widespread problems. According to the secretary, the agency found 500,000 cases of duplicate benefits, 186,000 deceased individuals still enrolled in the program, and instances of people receiving benefits in as many as six states simultaneously.

She also said 800,000 people have moved off food stamps since the review began.

"There is so much rampant fraud in a program that 42 million Americans participate in," Rollins said at the Cabinet meeting.

Rollins accused the previous administration of trying to "buy an election" by increasing food stamp funding by 40 percent. On social media, she wrote: "NO DATA, NO MONEY — it's that simple. If a state won't share data on criminal use of SNAP benefits, it won't get a dollar of federal SNAP administrative funding."

USDA spokesperson Alec Varsamis confirmed the secretary's intentions. "We have sent Democrat States yet another request for data, and if they fail to comply, they will be provided with formal warning that USDA will pull their administrative funds," Varsamis said in a statement.

States sue to block data request

The 21 states and the District of Columbia that have refused to comply have taken the administration to court. In a lawsuit filed this year, attorneys general argued that the data demand was part of a campaign to "amass Americans' sensitive, personal data and misuse that data for unauthorized purposes."

The states cited agreements by the IRS and the Department of Health and Human Services to share data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as evidence that the information would be used for immigration enforcement rather than fraud detection.

A federal judge in San Francisco issued a preliminary injunction in October blocking the administration from withholding SNAP funding from states that refuse to provide the requested data. The ruling remains in effect while the litigation proceeds.

The administration has until December 15 to decide whether to appeal. The judge has already denied a request from the administration to pause the injunction should it choose to do so.

It remains unclear how Rollins' threat will affect the ongoing litigation or whether the administration can legally proceed with withholding funds given the court order.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that it was "nothing short of ridiculous that the Trump administration is once again trying to withhold SNAP funding over data sharing after a court clearly barred them from doing so."

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said after the October ruling: "Let's be crystal clear: The President is trying to hijack a nutrition program to fuel his mass surveillance agenda."

Democratic governors respond

State leaders in the noncompliant states pushed back sharply against Rollins' announcement.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul posted on social media: "Genuine question: Why is the Trump Administration so hellbent on people going hungry?"

Claire Lancaster, a spokesperson for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, said President Trump was "taking out his political vendettas on the people who need these benefits the most."

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey called the move "truly appalling and cruel" in a statement. "The Trump Administration is once again playing politics with the ability of working parents with children, seniors and people with disabilities to get food," Healey said. "President Trump needs to order Secretary Rollins to release SNAP funding immediately and prevent more Americans from going hungry."

Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee issued a statement denouncing the administration's plan. "Yet again, Trump and Rollins are illegally threatening to withhold federal dollars. SNAP has one of the lowest fraud rates of any government program, but Trump continues to weaponize hunger," the statement read.

A pattern of SNAP disputes

The standoff over data comes amid broader tensions over the food assistance program.

During the recent 43-day government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, the USDA announced it would not pay SNAP benefits for November. Two federal courts ordered the government to resume funding, but the Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court, which placed a hold on the lower courts' rulings. The impasse ended when the shutdown concluded on November 12.

The administration has also directed states to implement significant changes to SNAP under the Republican spending package known as the One Big Beautiful Bill. Those changes include stricter work requirements that now apply to people ages 55 to 64 and homeless individuals, as well as new restrictions on eligibility for legal immigrants.

Separately, 21 states and the District of Columbia have filed suit against the USDA over its interpretation of the spending package, arguing that the agency's guidance incorrectly excludes certain lawfully present immigrants from SNAP eligibility.

Rollins recently stated that SNAP participants will have to reapply for benefits as part of the administration's anti-fraud initiative. The USDA later clarified that recipients would follow normal recertification procedures.

A 2024 Government Accountability Office report found that 11.7 percent of SNAP benefits dispersed in fiscal year 2023 were classified as "improper," amounting to roughly $10.5 billion. The report noted, however, that "improper" disbursements included both overpayments and underpayments to legitimate recipients, not solely fraud.

Nearly 42 million people relied on SNAP each month in fiscal year 2024, according to the USDA. The average monthly benefit is approximately $190 per person, or about $6 per day. The annual cost of the program approaches $100 billion.