Trump effort to build food aid recipient database unlawful, lawmakers say

By Leah Douglas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration's plan to amass a database of U.S. food aid recipients for the purpose of checking immigration status and avoiding duplicate enrollment amounts to an unlawful privacy violation, lawmakers said in a letter on Thursday to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in June that it would gather information from states to build the database with the goal of reducing waste and strengthening the program, as well as in keeping with President Donald Trump's directives to promote data-sharing across the federal government.

The data would include the social security numbers, immigration status and other information of people who have received, are receiving or have applied to receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to agency documents.

California Senator Adam Schiff and 12 other Democratic senators said in the letter that the database would violate benefit recipients' right to privacy and that the USDA should cease compiling the data.

"The new FNS policy would violate federal law and undoubtedly lead to a loss of trust," the letter said.

The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The AP reported on Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be given access to the personal data of Medicaid enrollees, an escalation in the administration's hardline immigration policy.

About 42 million people receive SNAP benefits. Immigrants in the United States illegally are not eligible for Medicaid or SNAP.

Rollins said in a July 9 letter to state SNAP agencies that the USDA would require collection of SNAP data from states or EBT processors beginning on July 24 with submission to USDA no later than July 30.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter)