(WHTM) \u2014 Pennsylvania is one of four states facing a lawsuit from the federal government over SNAP applicant data.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Michigan, and Minnesota. They are seeking the last five years of SNAP applicant data in the respective states.<\/p>\n
The DOJ alleges that the four states refused to turn over data to the U.S. Department of Agriculture \u201cso that USDA could ensure that states are properly administering and enforcing their determinations of residents\u2019 eligibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe American people deserve a government that is transparent about how it spends their hard-earned tax dollars,\u201d said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. \u201cThese four states are thwarting USDA\u2019s efforts to ensure that the billions of dollars in SNAP benefits they distribute every year are not lost to fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStopping the rampant theft of taxpayer money demands a whole-of-government response, including strong participation at the state level,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department\u2019s National Fraud Enforcement Division. \u201cThese states are happy to take hundreds of millions of federal tax dollars\u2014much of which is exploited by fraudsters\u2014but want zero transparency over how those tax dollars are spent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Get the latest Pennsylvania politics and election news with abc27 newsletters<\/a>!<\/p>\n The Department of Justice said 28 states promptly provided data and such indicated \u201cthere are billions of dollars per year in SNAP funds going to overpayments and fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n The USDA has been seeking data for the past year or so, leading to a legal battle<\/a> over concerns about how the data would be used.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n