USDA subpoenas California Department of Social Services for SNAP participant data
The U.S. Department of Agriculture subpoenaed the California Department of Social Services on June 4 for SNAP participant data as a part of the federal agency’s latest efforts to root out fraud in government spending.
USDA is requiring California, and three other states, to turn over records with personal information related to individuals’ eligibility for the food assistance program, known as CalFresh in California, according to a June USDA Office of Inspector General news release. CalFresh offers low-income state residents aid through monthly allocations of food stamps to purchase items at grocery stores and markets.
“These states have refused to provide data responsive to USDA OIG’s initial requests for over a year allowing potential fraud to continue unchecked,” the federal agency’s news release said.
The SNAP subpoena is one of President Donald Trump’s administration’s latest efforts to weed out fraud, waste and abuse in government programs, particularly in Democratic states. The Trump administration has been focused on ensuring that federal assistance initiatives do not support undocumented immigrants and other people it refers to as criminals. Democratic states, including California, have fought back by filing lawsuits against federal agencies over certain policies and actions affecting governments programs such as SNAP.
California Department of Social Services spokesperson Jason Montiel did not respond to questions from The Sacramento Bee but sent a statement that said the agency received the subpoena and is reviewing it.
USDA issued the subpoenas concurrently to Michigan, Illinois and New York, the news release said, as a part of inspector general reviews in the top 10 states for SNAP spending. California is number one on that list, the federal agency said. The state spent over $12.5 billion and helped around 5.5 million Californians in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, state data shows. Nationally, SNAP supports over 40 million Americans through around $100 billion in federal aid, according to federal data.
In California, USDA requested records for participating and non-participating household members receiving “initial and ongoing SNAP benefits” from Oct. 1, 2023 through Sept. 30, 2024, a USDA spokesperson said in a statement to The Bee.
“The reviews are designed to allow states to assess the integrity of their SNAP data and ensure funds are not going to ineligible individuals,” USDA Inspector General John Walk said in a statement to The Bee.
Since Trump signed the Big, Beautiful Bill in July 2025 through February 2026, SNAP participation has fallen by around 3.5 million people, or 9%, an analysis of USDA data by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found. The bill limits recipient eligibility, reduces benefits and services and shifts costs from the federal government onto states and local municipalities.
