Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly speaks during a news conference in Wichita, Kan., Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Travis Heying)

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) and Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard have pushed back against a federal government demand to access the personal information of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients.

The personal information was first requested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service in May. Kelly and Howard reportedly made their decision because they are unaware how the data will be used. Since the initial request, Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins (R) has accused Kelly and Howard of covering up “waste, fraud and abuse” because of their failure to hand over the data.

Howard told the Kansas Reflector that there are already laws in place to protect against waste, fraud and abuse, and that releasing the data would jeopardize the privacy of hundreds of thousands of Kansas residents.

“I honestly believe that if I were to release that data, then the courts find in favor of the states, then I’m putting the state at liability for releasing the personal information of more than 700,000 Kansans,” she said.

Earlier this week, a whistleblower alleged that the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) put the personal data and Social Security numbers of millions of Americans on a server in June that’s vulnerable to being hacked easily.

In July, attorneys general from multiple states filed a joint lawsuit asking the courts to stay the data request.

“USDA makes this demand for the stated purpose of detecting ‘overpayments and fraud,’” the lawsuit says. “Instead, the move appears to be part of the federal government’s well-publicized campaign to amass enormous troves of personal and private data, including information on taxpayers and Medicaid recipients, to advance goals that have nothing to do with combating waste, fraud, or abuse in federal benefit programs.”

In addition to SNAP data, the government agencies in President Donald Trump’s second administration have demanded voting data from 21 states, Social Security numbers and personal information from noncitizens. These unprecedented efforts coincide with an executive order Trump signed in March to “stop waste, fraud, and abuse.”