July 9, 2025
Dear SNAP State Agencies,
On March 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14243, Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos. This Executive Order required agency heads to "take all necessary steps, to the maximum extent consistent with law, to ensure the Federal Government has unfettered access to comprehensive data from all state programs that receive federal funding, including, as appropriate, data generated by those programs but maintained in third-party databases." The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is committed to effectuating this Executive Order with respect to all programs in its purview.
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) at USDA works in partnership with state agencies to provide nutrition assistance to Americans in need through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It is imperative that USDA eliminates bureaucratic duplication and inefficiency and enhances the government's ability not only to have point-in-time information but also to detect overpayments and fraud. As noted in the May 6, 2025, announcement of the Department's plan to request these data from EBT processors, USDA is committed to ensuring appropriate and lawful participation in SNAP.
On June 23, 2025, pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and Office of Management and Budget (0MB) Circular No. A-108, USDA published a notice in the Federal Register that the department proposes to create a new system of records (SOR) entitled USDA/FNS-15, "National Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Information Database." This system is owned, administered, and secured by FNS, and the system's primary purpose is to strengthen SNAP and government program integrity.
In accordance with 5 USC 552a(e)(4) and (11), this system of records notice becomes effective upon publication in the Federal Register, except for the routine uses, which will become effective on July 23, 2025. To ensure efficient implementation of this system, and to ensure USDA has a complete and accurate database, we are requiring collection of SNAP data from EBT processors or state agencies beginning on July 24, 2025, with submissions to USDA no later than the close of business on July 30, 2025. The required data are listed in the notice section, "Categories of Records in the System."
Thank you for your continued work to help address the needs of vulnerable Americans and safeguard taxpayer dollars. If you or your staff have any questions, please have your staff contact the FNS Governmental Affairs Team at fnsgovaffairs@usda.gov.
Sincerely,
Brooke L. Rollins
Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture