Kansas Fights Over SNAP Data

A rare challenge over info in the MAGA era . . . Here are the basics:

Kansas Department for Children and Families stopped the process in a letter dated May 14, sent by Carla Whiteside Hicks, the DCF director of economic and employment services.

“Please be advised that we do not consent to your providing the USDA the requested information at this time,” Whiteside Hicks told Fidelity Information Services LLC. “As you know, our obligation to maintain these records in confidence is paramount and may only be disclosed to the USDA for specific program-related reasons. At this time, we are unsure as to the reason for the USDA’s request. As such, we are unable to consent to your turning the information over.”

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kansas denies USDA request for personal data of residents receiving food assistance

TOPEKA - State officials have denied a federal request to disclose personal information of Kansans using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. On May 6, the Kansas Department for Children and Families received a letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that demanded "unfettered access to comprehensive data from all State programs that receive federal funding."