Over $10 million in federal benefits is now on hold.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and Attorney General Kris Kobach have been at odds for weeks over the status of SNAP benefits. Kobach says the Kansas Department for Children and Families has to share data with the US Department of Agriculture after an executive order from President Donald Trump, but several states have sued over that policy and, in justifying the decision not to comply, Governor Kelly and DCF Secretary Laura Howard have said personal details of over 700,000 residents would be put at risk if the data was shared.
Two weeks ago, Kobach announced he is asking a federal court to force the Kelly administration to file the state’s SNAP data to the federal government. Kobach says the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services agency will withhold future payments every three months unless the demanded information is provided.
