Kupper Warns Hobbs and Mayes that SNAP Data Refusal Risks Funding for Arizona Families

On Thursday, Arizona State Representative Nick Kupper warned Governor Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes in a letter that blocking the release of data the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires to maintain federal SNAP funding could put families ta risk.

In a letter to Hobbs and Mayes, Kupper warned that withholding the required information puts Arizona families at risk and could disrupt access to food assistance for eligible households. He called on Hobbs and Mayes to stop resisting federal requirements and to immediately provide the data.

On Tuesday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that any state refusing to share SNAP data with the federal government risks losing federal funding for the program. The data is needed to protect the integrity of SNAP by confirming eligibility, preventing misuse of taxpayer funds, and rooting out waste and fraud so that benefits go only to those who truly qualify. Arizona is now among the states facing that consequence due to decisions by the two Democratic state officials.

“Families who follow the rules and rely on SNAP to get through the week should not be put at risk because the Governor and Attorney General are choosing political fights,” Kupper said. “The federal government has made the requirement clear. If Arizona refuses to comply, our state risks losing SNAP funding altogether. That outcome would punish people who legitimately need help. Governor Hobbs and Attorney General Mayes should reverse course and release the data so Arizona families are not left paying the price.”

Kupper said political maneuvering heading into an election year should not interfere with programs that provide food assistance to eligible residents.

According to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office:

• In Arizona, 12% of the state’s population receives SNAP benefits, including 30,000 Arizona veterans.

• That means nearly 900,000 Arizonans rely on SNAP benefits to help feed themselves and their families.

• Most of these families would be out around $360, the average amount Arizona households using SNAP benefits were able to spend on groceries that month.

• 1 in 4 children in Arizona rely on SNAP benefits– in fact 40% of SNAP funding in Arizona goes to feeding children.

• For every meal that a food pantry provides, SNAP provides 9.

• The economy is going to take a big hit without SNAP funding as well. Data has shown that in a weak economy, $1 of SNAP benefits increases economic activity and growth by $1.5 to $1.8.

• Over 4,600 Arizona retailers are approved to accept EBT cards and could lose revenue.

“Donald Trump’s illegal demand that states hand over sensitive data about families who rely on food assistance is an outrageous abuse of power and I am proud to have secured a court order preventing it,” said Attorney General Mayes in October. “Arizonans who turn to SNAP to feed their families should not have to fear that their personal information will be swept into Trump’s mass surveillance agenda. My office will continue to fight to protect Arizonans’ privacy and ensure that federal agencies follow the law.”