WASHINGTON >> The administration of President Donald Trump will halt federal payments that help administer the food stamp program to Democratic-led states next week if they do not turn over aid recipient data, according to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Democratic state and federal officials have resisted an effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to collect data like immigration status and social security numbers of recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps, calling it an unlawful privacy violation. The USDA has said it will use the data to root out fraud.

“As of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states until they comply,” Rollins said at a Cabinet meeting today at the White House

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