The administration warned on Tuesday that it will withhold money for administering SNAP in most Democratic-controlled states starting next week unless states provide the USDA with the names and immigration status of people receiving the benefits.
I guess everybody tries to puff up and look strong during a Cabinet meeting, but they hadn't even threatened that at that point in time.Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, remarking on Tuesday's Cabinet meeting comments on SNAP
Thursday, Beshear said Kentucky was part of a court ruling that blocked that demand and nothing has changed.
"Kentuckians aren't going to lose SNAP benefits," the governor stated plainly. "It would violate a court order."
Beshear did, however, reference a letter from the federal government saying it has extra security protocols and reiterating its request for the SNAP recipients' information by a certain date, but did not threaten the program.
"We, as a group of states, were working on responding to that when in the televised Cabinet meeting, which is something, (U.S. Agriculture Secretary) Brooke Rollins comes out and says 'we're going to cut them off if they don't send us the information by that date,'" Beshear said. "I guess everybody tries to puff up and look strong during a Cabinet meeting, but they hadn't even threatened that at that point in time."
Rollins said cooperation on the data request is needed to root out fraud in the program, a claim Beshear disputed — arguing the real goal is to use the information for immigration purposes.
NPR reports the agriculture head has said attention on SNAP during the government shutdown "has given us a platform to completely deconstruct the program" and that details about structural changes to the program would be released this week.