Letitia James has made a career out of attacking Donald Trump.
Now she’s using her office to protect something that will shock you.
And Letitia James tried to hide food stamp fraud data but one Trump move left her scrambling.
Democrat attorneys general wage war against Trump’s anti-fraud efforts
New York Attorney General Letitia James just filed another lawsuit against the Trump administration – but this time she’s not protecting some abstract legal principle.
She’s fighting to keep food stamp fraud hidden from federal investigators.
James teamed up with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 19 other Democrat prosecutors to sue the Department of Agriculture in federal court on Monday.¹
Their goal? Block the Trump administration from getting basic data about who’s receiving food stamp benefits and whether they’re actually eligible.
The timing here isn’t coincidental.
Trump’s Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced back in May that the federal government would finally start requiring states to share records about their SNAP programs.²
For years, this massive welfare program has operated on the honor system while taxpayers footed a bill that serves 42 million people every month.
That’s more than 12% of all Americans getting food stamps – and nobody in Washington, D.C. has been checking if they actually qualify.
The real reason Democrats are panicking about food stamp data
James claims this is all about protecting "migrants" from immigration enforcement.
But strip away the political spin and you’ll see what’s really happening here.
The USDA is asking for basic information that any competent government should already have: addresses, Social Security numbers, and immigration status of benefit recipients.
"Attorney General James and the coalition argue that this highly sensitive data, which includes home addresses, Social Security numbers, recent locations, immigration statuses, and more, will likely be shared across federal agencies and used for immigration enforcement," James’ office stated.³
Wait – let that sink in for a moment.
James is admitting that states are handing out food stamps to people whose immigration status might be problematic.
If everyone receiving benefits was a legal resident or citizen, why would immigration enforcement be a concern?
The answer is obvious: states have been giving taxpayer-funded benefits to people who shouldn’t be getting them, and Democrat attorneys general want to keep that gravy train rolling.
Trump’s anti-fraud effort sends Democrats into full panic mode
Secretary Rollins explained the Trump administration’s reasoning in simple terms that even Democrats should understand.
"President Trump is rightfully requiring the federal government to have access to all programs it funds, and SNAP is no exception," Rollins stated. "For years, this program has been on autopilot, with no USDA insight into real-time data."⁴
The federal government sends billions of dollars to states for food assistance, but until now, nobody in Washington, D.C. has been checking whether states are following the rules.
Democrats have created a system where federal taxpayers write the checks but have no idea where the money actually goes.
Trump’s Executive Order 14243 requires agency leaders to "take all necessary steps" to ensure the federal government has access to data from state-administered programs that receive federal funding.⁵
That sounds like basic government accountability to most Americans.
But to Democrat attorneys general, it’s apparently a threat to democracy.
The lawsuit demands that courts block the USDA from getting this information and prevent the Trump administration from sharing any data with the Department of Government Efficiency or immigration authorities.⁶
The fraud Democrats are desperate to hide
Here’s what Democrats don’t want you to know about the food stamp program.
The USDA is requesting records going back to January 2020 – which happens to cover the entire Biden administration period when border security collapsed and illegal immigration surged.⁷
Coincidence? Hardly.
States have been handing out benefits with virtually no federal oversight while millions of illegal aliens poured across the southern border.
Now Trump wants to see the receipts, and Democrats are lawyering up to stop him.
The lawsuit claims federal agencies want this data "not for program purposes, but for the creation of a surveillance system to advance the President’s agenda, including by facilitating the President’s mass deportation efforts."⁸
But ensuring that only eligible people receive taxpayer-funded benefits isn’t about surveillance – it’s about basic honesty in government.
If Democrats were confident that states were following federal law, they’d welcome this transparency.
Instead, they’re fighting tooth and nail to keep the data hidden.
That tells you everything you need to know about what they’re really protecting.
The American people deserve to know where their tax dollars are going and whether the people receiving benefits are actually eligible for them.
Letitia James can file all the lawsuits she wants, but Trump isn’t backing down from rooting out fraud and waste in government programs.
¹ Jason Hopkins, "Blue States Try To Stop Trump Admin From Investigating Food Stamp Fraud," Daily Caller News Foundation, July 29, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ibid.
