Attorney General James Sues Trump Administration to Protect Vulnerable New Yorkers’ Personal Information

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today co-led a coalition of 23 other states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump administration over unlawful policy changes that would give the administration broad access to the sensitive private information of millions of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits. In June 2026, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) issued a notice claiming to dramatically expand its oversight of state TANF programs, including by allowing ACF to share detailed records on TANF recipients with other federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Under ACF’s new policy, TANF recipients’ Social Security numbers, addresses, immigration status, and other sensitive personal data would be illegally shared across the federal government and even potentially with private organizations. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that ACF’s attempt to share millions of people’s data and implement new monitoring of states’ TANF programs violates the law and Constitution, and is a blatant effort to politically target those who are lawfully receiving critical TANF benefits.

“Instead of helping families struggling with the rising cost of living, this administration is trying to turn antipoverty programs against the people they’re supposed to serve,” said Attorney General James. “TANF funds provide critical assistance to help families put food on the table, find safe housing, and make ends meet, but this administration is weaponizing TANF to illegally use millions of people’s most private personal information. Programs like TANF are a lifeline for New York families and I won’t let this administration turn them into a tool for targeting the most vulnerable.” 

Congress created TANF as part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. The law requires the federal government to provide block grants to states, territories, and tribal governments, which then have broad authority to use the funds for a variety of programs to provide assistance to low-income families with children. TANF funds support childcare subsidies, emergency housing for families fleeing domestic violence, emergency food assistance, support for grandparents caring for children, and other critical services. TANF currently provides over $16 billion every year to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several territories and tribal governments for these programs. As Attorney General James and the coalition assert in their lawsuit, it is one of the largest sources of direct assistance to low-income families and a crucial part of states’ efforts to fight poverty. New York receives about $2.7 billion in TANF funds each year, which support direct cash assistance to 190,000 people, including 127,000 children, and shelter services in New York City for approximately 39,000 people.

The law enacting TANF specifically requires states, not the federal government, to be responsible for verifying TANF applicants’ eligibility for benefits. Yet ACF now claims the agency has broad authority to oversee states’ TANF programs and share recipients’ private data with other federal agencies to double check their immigration status. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that this policy would cause significant harm to the vulnerable communities that rely on TANF funds. Allowing TANF recipients’ private data to be illegally shared across the federal government would erode trust that states’ TANF programs have built with immigrant communities and deter those legally qualified to receive benefits from seeking out assistance. ACF’s policy could also lead to unlawful oversight requirements from the federal government – diverting resources that should be used on critical programs to help low-income families.

Attorney General James and the coalition argue that ACF’s new policy violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution by ignoring restrictions on data sharing in TANF programs and enacting arbitrary new conditions on federal funding. The lawsuit seeks a court order declaring ACF’s policy illegal and preventing it from being implemented.

ACF’s new attempt to oversee states’ TANF programs is the latest in the federal administration’s efforts to target antipoverty programs and the vulnerable families who rely on them. In January, ACF attempted to illegally freeze more than $10 billion for TANF, the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) in five states, including New York. Attorney General James sued the administration and successfully blocked this funding freeze.

Joining Attorney General James in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.