The high court's decision keeps in place a chaotic situation. People who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing.
On Friday was the day expected to be the last day of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for 42 million Americans for who knows how long, due to the federal shutdown. Helpers scrambled to try to fill the gap, even partially.
Democratic-led states secured a legal victory to keep the personal data of food recipients out of the federal government's reach. But NPR's reporting shows that millions of records on Americans have already been shared.
Twenty-one states are suing after the USDA demanded states turn over sensitive data on food assistance applicants. The lawsuit calls the demand an "Orwellian surveillance campaign."
The USDA has set a deadline of July 30 for states to hand over the sensitive data of tens of millions of people who applied for federal food assistance, while a lawsuit is trying to stop the collection.
States hold troves of sensitive personal data that were previously never shared with the federal government or across federal agencies. The Trump administration is trying to change that.
35 House members said they are troubled by the Agriculture Department's plans to collect personal data from people who applied for federal food assistance, and urged the effort to "immediately cease."
