Trump’s Demand for Food Stamp Participants’ Data Will Scare People From Needed Benefits, Officials & Advocates Say

New York is among states suing the Trump administration over the request which advocates say will have a chilling effect on SNAP participation among eligible people in need The mayor s office declared it s reviewing its options and revealed the mandate will only worsen food insecurity in our city Baby formula on display inside a Key Food Supermarket on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx Adi Talwar City Limits New York agents and anti-hunger advocates condemned the U S Department of Agriculture s USDA request for states to share the personal information of food stamp recipients and City Hall mentioned it s reviewing its options around the mandate the deadline for which passed earlier this week In May the USDA appealed states to hand over evidence such as names dates of birth personal addresses and Social Defense numbers for all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Activity SNAP recipients over the last five years by July or else hazard losing federal funding Citing President Donald Trump s March Executive Order the USDA explained the statistics will help it combat waste fraud and abuse function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' SNAP benefits commonly known as food stamps can be used to buy food and groceries at authorized retail stores About million low-income New Yorkers are presently enrolled in the scheme or about percent of the state s population Nearly a third are children On July USDA broadened the scope of requested information to include immigration status and information about household members Although immigrants without legal status are ineligible for the undertaking mixed-status families may include children who are U S citizens and therefore qualify for the benefits Earlier this week state attorneys general including New York s joined together to challenge the Trump administration s demand in a lawsuit But according to the New York Attorney General s Office Wednesday s deadline remained in place despite the legal action so states and social operation districts may still respond While SNAP is funded by the federal authorities in New York the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance OTDA is in charge of managing and distributing the benefits at the state level In New York City the Human Reserve Administration HRA which is part of the New York City Department of Social Services oversees the undertaking locally City Hall did not respond to questions about whether it would comply with the rule but condemned it We re reviewing our options a City Hall spokesman explained Requiring states to provide private and sensitive information on SNAP applications to the federal governing body is unlawful and will discourage New Yorkers from applying for these essential services and withdrawing federal funding for not complying with this mandate will only worsen food insecurity in our city the spokesperson added We urge the federal administration to reverse this decision At the state level OTDA also did not provide details on how it would respond stating that OTDA does not comment on pending litigation an agency spokesperson announced via email A USDA spokesperson also declined to comment citing the ongoing lawsuit On July OTDA s Commissioner Barbara Guinn submitted a comment formally requesting that the USDA withdraw the proposed notice alleging legal operational and ethical concerns with the creation and use of the USDA s proposed National SNAP Information Database Disclosure to such persons in violation of the privacy safeguards is inappropriate and unauthorized and does not serve any purpose related to the effective administration of the SNAP effort Guinn wrote Food insecurity in New York grew to percent of households from to while SNAP reliance has steadily increased after the pandemic reaching million households across the state in March Children account for percent of New York s SNAP enrollees elderly individuals make up percent and non-elderly disabled residents comprise percent We are deeply concerned about the material request including its prospective chilling effect on SNAP participation explained Krista Hesdorfer director of community affairs at Hunger Solutions New York a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating hunger which also assists eligible New Yorkers in accessing SNAP Advocates narrated City Limits that this request adds to the fear and chaos already being felt among immigrant communities as the Trump administration ramps up deportation efforts including arrests of people showing up for mandated immigration court hearings countless of whom have no criminal history The procedures will only lead to more reluctance to enroll in the SNAP operation even if people are eligible advocates disclosed If you can find me one undocumented immigrant who somehow faked the paperwork to get SNAP I can find you out of thousands of documented legal immigrants who are not applying for SNAP reported Joel Berg CEO of Hunger Free America USDA argues the information-sharing request is meant to get rid of records silos to stop waste fraud and abuse of federal funds The Trump administration has been working on several paths to gather as much immigration-related information on people as viable including creating a data-sharing system between ICE and the IRS using Medicaid databases and signing agreements between the U S Department of Housing and Urban Maturation and the Department of Homeland Protection People are more afraid than ever to apply for the benefits to which they re legally eligible Berg noted People are even afraid to go to charitable soup kitchens and food pantries There s selected people who are afraid to shop They re getting friends to shop for them They re literally putting themselves under essentially self-house arrest While the USDA details request doesn t mention immigration enforcement hunger relief and immigrant advocates disclosed the main goal is to help agents find people who could be deported As one of six children raised by a single mother who worked three jobs to put food on the table Mayor Adams understands the importance of ensuring that families never have to go hungry a City Hall spokesman announced SNAP helps thousands of New Yorkers put food on their tables and we are dedicated to ensuring everyone who necessities these benefits can feel relaxed accessing them regardless of their immigration status To reach the reporter behind this story contact Daniel citylimits org To reach the editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org Want to republish this story Find City Limits reprint agenda here The post Trump s Demand for Food Stamp Participants Details Will Scare People From Needed Benefits Authorities Advocates Say appeared first on City Limits