Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach today announced that he is asking a court to compel Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration to follow Kansas and federal law and turn over Kansas SNAP data to the federal government.
“It’s ironic that the Governor would join a lawsuit to get a hypothetical amount of money for new grants for things like DEI and food justice, but she’s willing to sacrifice $10.4 million for Kansas’s most vulnerable citizens that the state will definitely lose immediately if she doesn’t supply information to the federal government,” Kobach said.
The lawsuit was filed today in Shawnee County District Court.
Flanked by the Kansas Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins and Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi, Kobach said Kansas law mandates that the Kansas Department of Children and Families and Secretary Laura Howard cooperate with the federal government including sharing SNAP data with the USDA’s food and nutrition services.
“The actions of Gov. Kelly and Secretary Howard are truly shocking. For years, they’ve made repeated SNAP payments in error, using taxpayer dollars to make those payments to those who are not eligible for the program. And now, rather than simply turn over information to the USDA, the Governor is stonewalling. She is risking millions of federal dollars that puts food on the tables of Kansas’ most vulnerable families. When the Secretary refuses to provide the data, she is not only dodging accountability but also breaking the law. Kansans deserve better,” Hawkins said.
Governor Kelly’s administration is refusing to provide Kansas SNAP data to the USDA due to what she claims are concerns about the legality and scope of the request, and potential violations of privacy for recipients and what she terms an unreasonable deadline to comply. The state argues the USDA’s demand goes beyond what is legally permitted for program administration and could expose hundreds of thousands of Kansans to privacy risks. USDA has temporarily paused its request, but Kelly’s refusal has led to suspicions a full review could reveal sloppy accounting and payment errors. The governor’s office did not immediately reply to the Kansas Informer’s attempts for comment.
USDA’S WARNING TO KELLY ADMINISTRATION OVER WITHHOLDING DATA
Senate President Ty Masterson did not attend the press conference, but in a statement, he voiced his concerns and full support for the attorney general’s lawsuit.
“We believe in a safety net for our most vulnerable, so we have to question why the governor is willing to jeopardize millions of dollars that go directly to Kansas families. We know our SNAP error rates are too high, either due to mismanagement, fraud, or benefits going to ineligible people like illegal aliens. Whatever the reason, she knows that if our error rates continue to rise, Kansas will receive less funding for SNAP from the federal government. If that happens, she will be responsible for the shortfall and will have to answer to Kansas families about why she refuses to work with the USDA on the data they need to fix the problem,” Masterson said.
Dane Hicks is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. He is the author of novels "The Skinning Tree" and "A Whisper For Help." As publisher of the Anderson County Review in Garnett, KS., he is a recipient of the Kansas Press Association's Boyd Community Service Award as well as more than 60 awards for excellence in news, editorial and photography.
