Latest news with #Bonta
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Democrats sue over efforts to defund Planned Parenthood
SACRAMENTO, California — Attorney General Rob Bonta and 22 other Democratic attorneys general and governors are suing the Trump administration over a bid to strip federal funds from Planned Parenthood clinics. 'We need to just call it what it is: punishment for Planned Parenthood's constitutionally protected advocacy for abortion,' Bonta said at a press conference Tuesday morning. 'The hypocrisy is really hard to ignore: a party that claims to be defenders of free speech only seem to care about it when it aligns with their own agenda.' Congressional Republicans have wanted to cut funding to Planned Parenthood since Trump's first term. If they're successful, about 200 of the 600 clinics the nonprofit operates around the country could close, with over half of them in California. 'California is the most impacted state in the country,' said Jodi Hicks, CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. 'It's important to have a California lens on this.' Bonta, the other attorneys general, and the governor of Pennsylvania argue in their filing that the Republican mega-spending and policy bill Trump signed in early July violates the First Amendment by targeting Planned Parenthood's national umbrella organization for its advocacy. They also allege it violates the Constitution's spending clause by being too vague and illegally singles out Planned Parenthood for punishment without due process. While the spending bill doesn't mention Planned Parenthood by name, it set funding criteria that targets the organization directly. The law bars Medicaid funds from going to reproductive health clinics that provide abortions and are part of national networks that received over $800,000 in Medicaid funding. Bonta said it isn't clear if any other providers would fall under the law, but at least one organization in Maine has also filed a suit. Federal funds already cannot be used for abortion, but Planned Parenthood clinics rely heavily on Medicaid funding to cover other services, with as much as 50 percent of its patients nationally enrolled in the government program. In California, eight in ten patients are covered by Medicaid. 'The federal government is once again playing politics with our health care system, with devastating consequences,' New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. 'This administration's shameful and illegal targeting of Planned Parenthood will make it harder for millions of people to get the health care they need.' Bonta's lawsuit is separate from one filed by Planned Parenthood clinics in Massachusetts and Utah along with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the umbrella organization that oversees state affiliates which run the clinics. In that case, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani on Monday ruled that her preliminary decision to block the legislation's funding cut would remain in place. In siding with Planned Parenthood's arguments, Talwani wrote that Congress was trying to illegally punish clinics for the political work of the broader Planned Parenthood organization. Planned Parenthood, she concluded, was the ''easily ascertainable' target of the law when the legislation was passed.' Talwani also found that apart from the abortions the clinics perform, patients who rely on them for other services such as cancer screenings and testing for sexually transmitted diseases would be harmed if Medicaid funding was cut off. In the week leading up to Talwani's decision, California's clinics were briefly defunded and five clinics closed down, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte announced. 'That lawsuit is just one strategy to fight back, and the reality is that an attack this severe requires a multi pronged response with both short and long term strategies,' Hicks said. 'These attacks are not going away, and this administration has certainly shown their colors.' Solve the daily Crossword
Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
How Newsom could redraw career ambitions
LEADING THE DAY — MAPPING IT OUT: The potential contours of a snap California redistrict are coming into focus (more on the politics of that exercise below). Attorney General Rob Bonta suggested yesterday that lawmakers could put a new, fully realized map before voters for up-or-down approval. 'I think that's what's being contemplated here and I think that's what the legal pathway is,' Bonta told reporters, noting he'd been in touch with Gov. Gavin Newsom's office. Remember, Bonta's office would write an initiative's official title and summary. Newsom has said he's reviewing three or four options to proceed, including simply having the Legislature draw lines on the theory it retains the authority to do so despite California's independent commission. But Bonta's remarks suggest a special election could be the smoothest path — though it would still be a bumpy one. Speaking of which ... MAPMAKING MELEE — Newsom's push for a Democrat-boosting California gerrymander would have to run through the Legislature — where it could collide with lawmakers' career plans. Few prizes tantalize term-limited state lawmakers quite like a safe House seat that's effectively a lifetime gig. But returning to a bygone era of redistricting hardball could complicate life for ambitious incumbents redrawing the seats they hope to one day represent. California voters chose in 2010 to sideline self-interested politicians from the map-making process; restoring their role, as the governor wants to do, reopens some of those old incentives. 'I've seen the negotiations. I've seen all the arm-twisting that Willie (Brown) and Phil Burton had to do,' said Bruce Cain, who helped craft maps for the former Democratic leaders. Burton, he added, 'had to browbeat people into things they wouldn't want to do.' For now, California Democrats are publicly rallying behind a national push to counter Texas' planned GOP gerrymander. Even frontline House members are saying Democrats have to be armed with every option. But it's one thing to proclaim your support for a plan embraced by party grandees like Newsom and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Getting 54 Assembly votes and 27 Senate votes for new maps is a different matter. Some of the Democrats who will be asked to vote for the gambit will have to balance personal plans and party priorities. Rarely does a vote in the state Legislature so directly tie into national politics or draw in national figures. Some career ambitions are an open secret: state Sen. Scott Wiener's run to replace Rep. Nancy Pelosi is only a matter of when Pelosi retires, and Speaker Robert Rivas is widely seen as a contender to replace Rep. Zoe Lofgren when she exits. A half-dozen other House Democrats sitting on safe seats around the state are in their 70s or 80s. Then there are people actively campaigning for a promotion, like Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, who's running to unseat GOP Rep. David Valadao in a seat that could soon look very different (and that Valadao has held onto despite a sturdy Democratic edge). Caveats apply: Newsom has talked about redoing only House seats, not the Legislature's, which would spare incumbents being drawn into the kind of clashes with colleagues we saw repeatedly in 2022. Congress' lack of a residency requirement could spare people moving costs (or FBI probes). The current nonpartisan process still yielded crowded, multi-incumbent Democratic primaries like the brawl for ex-Rep. Adam Schiff's seat. And there's a specific type of state lawmaker whose options would be affected: one who overlaps with a safe House seat, held by a member nearing retirement, that is close enough to a Republican seat to be affected by its redraw. That's a limited universe — solidly blue seats with octogenarian incumbents, like Pelosi's, may not shift much. 'You might have a situation where 90 percent of voters are going to be in their same district,' said redistricting guru Paul Mitchell. Governors have a way of getting what they want — particularly when they're rowing alongside the national Democratic apparatus — and Newsom's message of confronting and countering Republicans has resonated with plenty of Democrats. But the changes Newsom is seeking may compel incumbents to dust off their contingency plans. 'Every day,' said Susannah Delano, head of the female candidate recruiting organization Close the Gap, 'is a good day for succession planning.' GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Like what you're reading? Sign up to get California Playbook in your inbox, and forward it to a friend. You can also text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Not attending Lady Gaga's concert tour in California, unlike another prominent San Francisco politician. More on that below … IN THE COURTS BILL BACKS DOWN — Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli on Tuesday dropped charges against Alejandro Orellana — who was previously indicted by a federal grand jury for handing out masks to protesters of immigration raids. Bloomberg earlier Tuesday reported that Essayli forced staff to prioritize prosecuting Orellana against their counsel — one of several episodes that sparked internal backlash and reportedly led to mass departures in the Los Angeles-based Central District prosecutor's ranks. MAGA faithful celebrated Orellana's arrest, holding it up as a path-clearing victory for the president's deportation agenda. A spokesperson for Essayli's office declined to comment on why the charges were dropped. The same day, Essayli moved to dismiss corporate fraud charges against Trump donor Andrew Wiederhorn, the founder of FAT Brands Inc., Bloomberg reported. His office's filing did not cite a reason. Essayli had, according to the LA Times and Bloomberg, struggled to secure grand jury indictments during his interim appointment that was set to expire this week. The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to extend his time in the role by changing his status from 'interim' to 'acting attorney,' a maneuver the administration has also employed this year in New York, New Jersey and Nevada to prolong U.S. attorneys' time in office without Senate confirmation. — with reporting from Josh Gerstein and Nicole Norman LOS ANGELES DENSITY DOUBTS — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is asking Newsom and state lawmakers to prevent developers from using a state housing law to construct multiple new units on the lots of single-family homes destroyed by the Palisades fire. Bass, in a statement Tuesday, said denser construction in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood 'could drastically further challenge ingress and egress (in a high fire-hazard zone) following the worst fire disaster the city has ever faced.' She warned that allowing multiple new residences per lot could also strain local infrastructure. Bass' warning comes amid a social media furor over the potential impact of SB 9 on local rebuilding efforts. The law, passed in 2021, was an effort to ease the state's housing shortage by requiring cities to allow denser development — such as duplexes or lot splits — on land zoned for single-family homes. But residents of the Palisades, including influencers like former reality star Spencer Pratt (who's sparred with Newsom's office over recovery efforts), have taken to social media in recent days to stoke fears that denser housing could hamper future evacuations. Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Newsom, said the governor's office is working with local officials to evaluate their concerns. She added, 'We'll have more to share in the coming days.' Meanwhile, pro-housing advocacy groups are trying to tamp down the uproar. Matthew Lewis, a spokesperson for California YIMBY, said longtime opponents of SB 9 are 'opportunistically' using the specter of fire evacuations to target the law when only a handful of new duplexes have been proposed so far. Instead, Lewis said state leaders should focus on developing smarter fire-evacuation plans, noting that traffic jams have been a hazard during numerous catastrophes. 'It's not going to be solved by blocking seven homes,' he said. CAMPAIGN YEAR(S) FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: LEG WORK — Toni Atkins nabbed the endorsement of Mike McGuire — the leader of the California Senate who ousted her from that role just two years ago — as she campaigns for governor. 'She's relentless in her pursuit to expand affordable housing, lower costs for all Californians and no one brings people together like she does,' McGuire said in a statement. 'She has a spine of steel, takes on big fights and wins, and she always puts people before politics.' Atkins, whose leadership of the state Assembly and Senate was noted for its lack of drama, lags other Democratic candidates in public polling. But she served in the Legislature more recently than any of her competitors and has received a boost from her Sacramento connections. State Sens. Scott Wiener, John Laird and Caroline Menjivar are also endorsing her this week, as have Assemblymembers Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and LaShae Sharp-Collins and former Sens. Susan Eggman and Richard Roth. CLIMATE AND ENERGY CRUDE AWAKENING — California policymakers are heading for yet another late-session push on gas prices — except this time they're embracing some oil industry priorities instead of fighting them. Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposal to extract more crude from Kern County's oilfields is dividing environmentalists but gaining traction among lawmakers, at least one of whom sees the outline of a megadeal emerging. Read last night's California Climate for more. STAFFING NOTE — We're excited to share that Noah Baustin has joined POLITICO's California Climate team and started covering energy and the environment yesterday. He joins us from the San Francisco Standard, where he racked up scoops and uncovered municipal corruption as a data reporter. Wish him congratulations at nbaustin@ TOP TALKERS HOUSING TROUBLES — The number of new homes listed for sale in San Francisco, San Diego, Riverside and Anaheim had double-digit year-over-year declines, CalMatters reports, as stubbornly high prices and interest rates have kept buyers on the sidelines. MIXED RECEPTION — Longtime Los Angeles city prosecutor Gita O'Neill has been appointed to temporarily serve as chief executive of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority after the previous leader stepped down, LAist reports. Bass applauded O'Neill's 'deep expertise and leadership,' while some advocates expressed concerns over the appointment, arguing that O'Neill has previously enforced policies that 'criminalize and displace' homeless people. AROUND THE STATE — Apple is set to buy a Silicon Valley property for more than $360 million, marking its third Bay Area deal this year. (San Francisco Chronicle) — Imperial Beach's Central Elementary had its last first day after members of the South Bay Union board earlier this year voted to close it at the end of this year. (inewsource) — CalPERS is hoping to save hundreds of millions of dollars and rein in drug costs through a new pharmacy benefits contract. (The Sacramento Bee) PLAYBOOKERS SPOTTED: PAWS UP, PELOSI — Rep. Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul, attended Gaga's sold-out 'Mayhem Ball' concert tour at Chase Center in San Francisco this week. A video posted on X shows the former speaker dancing in the audience, swaying along as Mother Monster belted out the words to 'Abracadabra,' her latest dark electropop hit. 'The most fun I've had in a long time,' Pelosi later posted on X. 'It was a fabulous show in San Francisco!' STORK ALERT — Assemblymember Marc Berman and his wife, Aimee Gildea, welcomed their son Kaiden Noah Gildea into the world on July 19. 'Kaiden has been a dream of theirs for a very long time, and Marc is so grateful to Aimee for everything she went through to make that dream come true,' Berman's office said in an email. PEOPLE MOVES — José González has been promoted to director of human resources at the Alliance for Community Empowerment. He was previously HR manager. — Judith Hasko has been promoted to chair of WilmerHale's transactional department and will succeed Mick Bain following his retirement. Hasko will remain based in Palo Alto. BIRTHDAYS — former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ... Todd Campbell at Clean Energy Fuels … Jonathan Kanter … actress Lisa Kudrow … attorney Ronald E. Stackler … Jonathan Spalter of USTelecom … Mark Beatty of Google … Ashley Alman … Lindsay Butcher … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Tuesday): Joshua Radnor ... (was Monday) Sophia Danzeisen in the office of Rep. John Garamendi WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
California's top prosecutor floats pathway to boost Democrats in Congress
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said Tuesday that he believes there is a 'legal pathway' for Democrats to present new congressional district maps directly to voters on a statewide ballot, without input from the state's independent redistricting commission. Such a move, he suggested, would allow the state to counter Republican efforts to tilt next year's midterm election by pushing redistricting measures that favor the GOP in conservative states such as Texas. If successful, Republicans would have a better chance of holding their slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and protecting President Trump's ability to enact his agenda. 'I think the governor could call a special election that the voters of the state of California would participate in, and present to them a pathway forward that's different than the independent redistricting commission, that has maps presented to them ready [and] tangible and specific, and then the people vote,' Bonta said, adding that his staff had been discussing the matter with Gov. Gavin Newsom's team. Republicans, who probably would lose seats if such a ballot measure was approved, were dubious of Bonta's claim and argued that it is harmful to democracy. GOP Assembly Leader James Gallagher criticized Bonta's proposal as a 'strange legal theory to undermine CA voters.' 'It's undemocratic, it's wrong, and it needs to be stopped,' Gallagher said in a social media post Tuesday evening. 'If they move forward in this fashion they will rip the state and this nation apart.' Bonta provided few details about a potential ballot measure aside from saying that new district boundaries could be drawn by the state Legislature and presented to voters in a special election. The measure would ask voters to rescind the power they granted to an independent redistricting commission, at least temporarily. Presenting maps directly to voters is viewed as an effort to sway Californians who may be leery of letting the Legislature redraw the districts after they vote, according to redistricting experts. The governor's office declined to say whether Newsom intends to ask the Legislature to put a map of the proposed districts on the ballot. His team said it is continuing to explore the two pathways he previously outlined — either having state lawmakers redraw the maps, which probably would face legal challenges, or placing the matter on the statewide ballot for California voters to decide. Redistricting — the esoteric process of redrawing political boundaries — typically occurs once a decade, after the U.S. Census tallies population shifts across the nation. But it's in the news because Trump — potentially facing the loss of the slim GOP majority in the House — urged Texas to redraw its congressional districts middecade to elect more Republicans in the 2026 midterm election so he can press his agenda during his final two years in office. California lawmakers, like those in most states, used to gerrymander political boundaries to favor political parties and protect incumbents, often leading to bizarrely shaped districts with voters who sometimes had little in common. But in 2010, voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to create an independent redistricting commission that focused on drawing congressional districts that consolidated communities of interest, respected minority voting rights and geographically made sense. The state Republican and Democratic parties opposed the effort because it eroded their power. Now, after the Trump administration is urging GOP states to redraw district lines in a manner that would shore up their party's control of Congress, Democrats are fighting back. In California, a partisan redrawing of the districts could net their party a half-dozen seats in the state's 52-member delegation, which currently has nine Republicans. Several steps would have to occur before any such potential change could be presented to the electorate, notably that the Legislature would have to approve placing the matter before voters in a special election and draw new maps in a compressed schedule. Legal challenges are likely. 'Generally, when the people vote on something, if it's going to be changed in a significant way and not have additional steps taken by the Legislature in furtherance of what the people voted for, then the people need to vote for that change,' Bonta said, after being asked about the matter during a news conference. His office was working to 'have confidence and assurance that there is a legal pathway for California to take action in response to any action that Texas takes. ... We want to be confident that it was done lawfully originally, and that we can defend it appropriately in court.'
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
California, other states sue Trump administration over bill defunding Planned Parenthood
California and a coalition of other liberal-led states sued the Trump administration Tuesday over a provision in the 'Big Beautiful Bill' that bars Planned Parenthood and other large nonprofit abortion providers from receiving Medicaid funding for a host of unrelated healthcare services. The measure has threatened clinics across the country that rely on federal funding to operate. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, who is helping to lead the litigation, called it a 'cruel, backdoor abortion ban' that violates the law in multiple ways. The states' challenge comes one day after Planned Parenthood won a major victory in its own lawsuit over the measure in Boston, where a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the ban from taking effect against Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide. Federal law already prohibits the use of federal Medicaid funding to pay for abortions, but the new 'defund provision' in the bill passed by Congressional Republicans earlier this month goes further. It also bars nonprofit abortion providers that generated $800,000 or more in annual Medicaid revenue in 2023 from receiving any such funding for the next year — including for services unrelated to abortion, such as annual checkups, cancer screenings, birth control and testing for sexually transmitted infections. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice have argued that the measure 'stops federal subsidies for Big Abortion,' that Congress under the constitution is 'free to decline to provide taxpayer funds to entities that provide abortions,' and that Planned Parenthood's position should not hold sway over that of Congress. In announcing the states' lawsuit Monday, Bonta's office echoed Planned Parenthood officials in asserting that the provision specifically and illegally targets Planned Parenthood and its affiliate clinics — calling it 'a direct attack on the healthcare access of millions of low-income Americans, disproportionally affecting women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities of color.' Bonta's office said the measure threatened $300 million in federal funding for clinics in California, where Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider, and 'jeopardized the stability' of Planned Parenthood's 114 clinics across the state, which serve about 700,000 patients annually — many of whom use Medi-Cal, the state's version of Medicaid. During a virtual news conference Monday, Bonta noted that federal funds already don't cover abortions. He said the new provision was 'punishment for Planned Parenthood's constitutionally protected advocacy for abortion' and 'a direct attack on access to essential health care for millions who rely on Medicaid.' 'The Trump administration and Congress are actually gutting essential life-saving care, like cancer screenings and STI testing, simply because Planned Parenthood has spoken out in support of reproductive rights,' Bonta said. 'The hypocrisy is really hard to ignore. A party that claims to be defenders of free speech only seem to care about it when it aligns with their own agenda.' Bonta added: 'Rest assured, California will continue to lead as a reproductive freedom state, and will continue to defend healthcare as a human right.' In their lawsuit, the states argue that the measure is unlawfully ambiguous and violates the spending powers of Congress by singling out Planned Parenthood for negative treatment, and that it will harm people's health and increase the cost of Medicaid programs for states by more than $50 million over the next decade. In its lawsuit, Planned Parenthood also argued that the measure intentionally singled it and its affiliates out for punishment, in violation of their constitutional rights, including free speech. In granting Planned Parenthood's request for a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani wrote Monday that she was 'not enjoining the federal government from regulating abortion and is not directing the federal government to fund elective abortions or any healthcare service not otherwise eligible for Medicaid coverage.' Talwani, an Obama appointee, wrote that she also was not requiring the federal government 'to spend money not already appropriated for Medicaid or any other funds.' Instead, Talwani wrote, her order blocks the Trump administration from 'targeting a specific group of entities — Planned Parenthood Federation members — for exclusion from reimbursements under the Medicaid program,' as they were likely to prove that 'such targeted exclusion violates the United States Constitution.' In a statement to The Times Tuesday, White House spokesman Harrison Fields said the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' was 'legally passed by both chambers of the Legislative Branch and signed into law by the Chief Executive,' and Talwani's order granting the injunction was 'not only absurd but illogical and incorrect.' 'It is orders like these that underscore the audacity of the lower courts as well as the chaos within the judicial branch. We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue,' Fields said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment on the states' lawsuit. Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, joined Bonta during his news conference. She welcomed the states' lawsuit, saying 'an attack this severe requires a multi-pronged response with both short and long term strategies.' Hicks said it's particularly important that California is helping to fight back, given the huge stakes for the state. 'California is the most impacted state across the country because of the volume of patients that we have, but also because of the amount of Medicaid that our state takes,' she said. 'It speaks to our values. And this defund provision is certainly [an] attack on values — most heavily on California.' Bonta is leading the lawsuit along with the attorneys general of Connecticut and New York. Joining them are Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the attorneys general of Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Bonta noted the lawsuit is the 36th his office has filed against the Trump administration in the last 27 weeks.
UPI
3 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
California joins lawsuit to stop USDA demand for SNAP user information
The U.S. Department of Agriculture building in Washington, D.C. in June. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo July 29 (UPI) -- A group of 22 states filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from forcing states to give information about residents receiving SNAP benefits. California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Monday that he has joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, who have filed suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA. According to a press release from Bonta's office, the USDA is demanding that states turn over "personal and sensitive information" about millions of recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits. A federally funded program, SNAP is administered by states to provide food assistance. The money provided is in the billions and is supplied to millions of low-income families across the United States. To receive SNAP benefits, recipients must supply their personal information, which Bonta's office states happens "on the understanding, backed by long-standing state and federal laws, that their information will not be used for unrelated purposes." Bonta's office alleged that the USDA is threatening to withhold SNAP funding unless states turn over such personal information, which would effectively force "states to choose between protecting their residents' privacy and providing critical nutrition assistance to those in need." California said that the USDA demanded in May that all states supply a great deal of personal information in regard to all SNAP applicants and recipients, such as their social security numbers and home addresses, dating back five years. For just the state of California, that would equal over 5 million people. "This isn't just about data," Bonta posted to social media Monday. "It's about making sure families aren't forced to choose between feeding their kids and exposing themselves to government retaliation." According to the release, the Trump administration has justified this demand in order to prevent fraudulent use of SNAP. Bonta said that both federal and state law do not allow California to disclose such information unless absolutely necessary, or due to extraordinary circumstances. "President Trump continues to weaponize private and sensitive personal information," said Bonta. "Not to root out fraud, but to create a culture of fear where people are unwilling to apply for essential services." "We're talking about kids not getting school lunch; fire victims not accessing emergency services; and other devastating, and deadly, consequences," Bonta continued. "This unprecedented demand that states turn over SNAP data violates all kinds of state and federal privacy laws and further breaks the trust between the federal government and the people it serves." New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Monday that New York had joined the lawsuit and alleged that among the information illegally sought by the federal government is each SNAP recipient's immigration status. "Families should be able to get the assistance they need without fearing that they will be targeted by this administration," she said on social media. Included in the case docket for the lawsuit filed by the attorneys general is a letter sent by the USDA on Friday that demands that states each turn over SNAP participant data by Wednesday. Failing to do so, the USDA letter states, "may trigger noncompliance procedures" under current U.S. law. California said it receives around $1 billion annually to administer SNAP and fears a federal delay in funding could be "catastrophic for the state and its residents who rely on SNAP to put food on the table," according to Bonta's office. "The president doesn't get to change the rules in the middle of the game, no matter how much he may want to," Bonta further stated. "While he may be comfortable breaking promises to the American people, California is not." "We will not comply with this illegal demand," he added. "We'll see the President in court."
