Nearly two dozen organizations have asked Gov. Patrick Morrisey to not comply with a federal request to provide personal identifying information like names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and addresses of SNAP recipients with federal officials.
In a letter addressed to the governor, they wrote:
“If Governor Morrisey complies with this act of federal overreach, not only will our friends and neighbors who rely on federal food assistance have their private information compromised, it will have a chilling effect whereby fewer families who struggle with food insecurity will feel comfortable participating in the SNAP food assistance program, undermining Governor Morrisey’s efforts to improve health in our state through his Four Pillars of a Healthy West Virginia plan.”
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, asked states to turn over the information.
The directive includes “all household group members names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, residential and mailing addresses used or provided, as well as all data records used to determine eligibility or ineligibility.”
Additional information sought includes includes SNAP applicants’ immigration and citizenship status, as well as education, employment and marital status.
USDA has said the gathered information is intended to ensure the integrity of the program and verify recipient eligibility, safeguard taxpayer funds, identify and rectify fraudulent enrollments and verify immigration status.
However, the data collection has generated criticism and lawsuits from groups and states contending that it’s a violation of privacy and could be used for unrelated purposes, like immigration enforcement.
Twenty-one Democratic attorneys general and the governor of Kentucky filed a lawsuit challenging the USDA’s directive, arguing it violates several federal privacy laws, the U.S. Constitution, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
Immigrants without legal status are ineligible for SNAP benefits, but they can apply for any of their children who are U.S. citizens or could be part of a mixed status household.
In West Virginia, 22 organizations signed onto a letter to the governor, saying the data collections amounts to federal overreach, citing ongoing litigation challenging its legality and constitutionality.
The groups include ACLU-West Virginia, West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, West Virginia Citizen Action and more.
They say sharing sensitive data violates privacy laws and could erode trust, potentially deterring eligible families from participating in SNAP and undermining state health initiatives.
“West Virginia SNAP recipients share their personal information with the state SNAP agency because they trust it will be used only to help them access food assistance,” the organizations wrote in the letter.
“That trust is grounded in longstanding state and federal laws and standards that strictly limit how this data can be used.”