Rollins vows to "deconstruct" SNAP; threatens to cut off blue states over data (December 2, 2025 )
December 2, 2025 — Agriculture Secretary Rollins announced sweeping plans to overhaul SNAP following the shutdown's end, telling media that the conflict had given the administration "a platform to completely deconstruct the program," while simultaneously threatening to cut off federal SNAP funds to 21 Democratic-led states that had not provided recipient data — including immigration status — that the administration had demanded.
Rollins made the threat directly to President Trump during a Cabinet meeting, saying the administration would begin withholding funds from non-compliant states as early as the following week. California, New York, and Minnesota were among the states cited. She framed the data demand as a fraud-prevention measure and said the USDA had established a "SNAP integrity team" to review the information.
The announcement came days after the agency had already walked back Rollins' earlier statements suggesting that all SNAP recipients would be required to reapply from scratch, clarifying it would use "standard recertification processes." Critics noted that the administration had enacted the largest SNAP cuts in the program's history through the One Big Beautiful Bill just five months earlier, and that combining data demands, restructuring threats, and post-shutdown implementation of new eligibility rules amounted to sustained and escalating pressure on the program.
| https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/02/trump-usda-snap-funding-rollins.html |