DOJ Sues Minnesota Over SNAP Data as Federal Fraud Fight Escalates
The Justice Department has sued Minnesota in federal court, asking a judge to force the state to turn over five years of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applicant data to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
DOJ announced Friday that it filed lawsuits against Minnesota, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Michigan after the states refused to provide the data. The department said USDA requested the information to verify whether states are properly administering SNAP eligibility decisions and household benefit levels.
The lawsuit turns a long-running policy fight into a direct court battle.
DOJ said 28 jurisdictions have already provided data and that information from those states indicates “billions of dollars per year” in SNAP funds are tied to overpayments and fraud. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the states are blocking USDA’s efforts to ensure benefits are not lost to fraud.
Minnesota has argued the data demand raises privacy and legal concerns. Attorney General Keith Ellison previously joined a multistate lawsuit challenging USDA’s request for sensitive SNAP recipient information, saying it could expose data on more than 400,000 Minnesotans. His office has also said Minnesota receives roughly $1.4 billion a year to administer SNAP for more than 400,000 residents.
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The legal consequence is straightforward: if DOJ wins, Minnesota could be ordered to provide the data. If Minnesota prevails, the case could reinforce limits on how far federal agencies can go when demanding state-held benefit records.
Republican members of the state’s congressional delegation have repeatedly urged Gov. Tim Walz to comply with USDA requests, citing fraud investigations and warning that refusal could put program funding at risk.
DOJ and USDA framed the lawsuit as an anti-fraud and taxpayer-protection action. Minnesota Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Tom Emmer and the state’s GOP congressional delegation, have previously accused Walz of obstructing fraud oversight and urged compliance with USDA data requests.
On the other side, Ellison’s office has previously framed USDA’s SNAP data demand as an unlawful privacy threat and said court action was needed to protect sensitive recipient information and Minnesota SNAP funding.
The next step is the court process, where Minnesota is expected to defend its refusal against DOJ’s request for an injunction.
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