How badly has President Donald Trump broken the minds of his political opponents? They are now suing his administration so that people illegally in the country can continue receiving welfare benefits that were never meant for them.
A coalition of 20 attorneys general in blue states led by New York’s Letitia James has filed a lawsuit in California to stop the Department of Agriculture from accessing personal data on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or food stamps, claiming it violates federal privacy laws and constitutes an “Orwellian surveillance campaign.” The USDA effort is part of the Trump administration’s plan to eliminate fraud and abuse in the welfare system, particularly by those here illegally.
By the letter of the law, the case should be a slam dunk for Trump and USDA. The federal government’s authority to regulate immigration and oversee federally funded programs is unambiguous under the Supremacy Clause, which establishes federal law as supreme over state law when the two conflict. The Trump administration’s push to collect data on SNAP recipients and cross-reference it with immigration records is a direct exercise of this authority.
The USDA’s demand for states to provide sensitive data, including Social Security numbers and immigration statuses, aims to ensure that only eligible individuals receive benefits. That aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order 14243, which mandates “unfettered access” to data from state-administered programs to curb waste, fraud, and abuse. Only in the upside-down logic of the anti-borders movement does the goal of Trump’s order warrant fierce opposition.
By suing over giving the USDA records access, the rebellious state attorneys general are acting as if they fund the program at issue; they don’t. The federal government funds 100% of SNAP benefits, with states merely administering the program and sharing administrative costs. It is pure entitled arrogance for states to obstruct transparency on welfare programs where the federal government provides the money.
Their defiance sets a dangerous precedent, allowing states to cherry-pick federal mandates they wish to follow. The Supreme Court has consistently upheld the federal government’s authority in such matters, as seen in cases like Arizona v. United States (2012), where state attempts to encroach on federal immigration enforcement were struck down. By suing to block data sharing, these states are not protecting privacy but obstructing lawful federal oversight, effectively encouraging fraud by shielding ineligible recipients from scrutiny.
The scale of waste and fraud in our welfare programs is staggering. A 2023 report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform estimated that illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers $150.7 billion annually, with $66.4 billion in federal expenses, including benefits like SNAP and Medicaid. The findings of the Department of Government Efficiency went further, revealing that over 1.3 million people illegally in the country were enrolled in Medicaid, with nearly 1,000 flagged individuals – some with criminal records or on terrorist watchlists – receiving approximately $600,000 in benefits.
Additionally, the White House reported that over 2 million noncitizens received Social Security numbers in fiscal year 2024, with 4.8 million issued since 2021, some of which were used fraudulently to access benefits. These numbers are not mere statistics; they represent a direct burden on American taxpayers, who fund programs intended for citizens and legal residents.
The lawsuits’ claims of privacy violations ring hollow when weighed against the public interest. The issue here is not the privacy of lawful citizens minding their own business. Rather, it is people who entered the country illegally and are trying to use taxpayer-funded benefits meant for citizens and legal residents. The need to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in our welfare systems should outweigh the privacy concerns of those who have no legal right to be in the country, let alone siphon finite resources from qualified recipients.
In light of what DOGE has found, the only option is to clean up fraud and waste in welfare programs. SNAP serves over 42 million people, and any misuse diverts resources from those who need them most – low-income citizens, veterans, and children. The FAIR report highlights that illegal immigration exacerbates poverty and strains public services, with taxpayers bearing the brunt.
The Trump administration’s efforts are not about targeting immigrants, but about upholding the rule of law and protecting American taxpayers. The lawsuits by state attorneys general are a misguided attempt to subvert federal authority, violating the Supremacy Clause and enabling fraud to persist.
Trump’s return to the White House signaled that the citizenry will no longer accept the public treasury being used as a bottomless piggy bank for the chicanery of sanctuary cities and states. It is time for states to comply with federal law and prioritize accountability over ideology.
