Michelle Parsons is a resident of Fenwick Island.
Last spring, the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked every state to provide updated information on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients, so it could correct long-standing errors and ensure that food assistance reaches the families who truly depend on it. Twenty-nine states complied. Their cooperation uncovered payments going to more than 186,000 deceased individuals and over 500,000 duplicate cases — dollars that could instead support living, legitimate families in need.
As of Dec. 6, Delaware had refused to provide this updated information. In fact, Delaware has even joined a multistate lawsuit — California v. USDA — arguing that the request is “overly broad” and burdensome, despite the fact that 29 states have already complied. As a result, food assistance for roughly 119,000 Delawareans — including children, older adults and disabled individuals — may be halted this month.
What stands out is not only the refusal itself but the lack of any public explanation from the two officials responsible for this decision: Gov. Matt Meyer and Attorney General Kathleen Jennings. SNAP is fully funded with federal dollars, and the federal government already has the underlying data; what it is requesting is timely verification of the data, to cross-reference for potential fraud or misuse, as was uncovered in the states that did provide the data. Delaware has had months to comply, yet our leaders have chosen refusal and silence.
This raises an unavoidable question: Why would Gov. Meyer risk the food security of so many households in need in Delaware rather than just submit routine updates that nearly every other state has provided, without pushback?
Some have speculated that Delaware’s refusal is meant to protect undocumented immigrants. That explanation does not hold, as the Department of Agriculture already has access to immigration status information through other existing federal systems, and SNAP confidentiality rules expressly prohibit using program data for immigration enforcement. Providing updated records does not place undocumented families at risk, nor does it grant the federal government any new authority it does not already have.
If that’s not the reason, then what is? What exactly would updated information reveal that our state prefers to keep unseen? Would it show administrative fiscal mismanagement that has accumulated after more than 20 years of one-party control, which officials do not want to reveal as an election year approaches? Would it finally bring to light persistent concerns about the accuracy of Delaware’s voter rolls? What are they trying to avoid? We don’t know, and that is the problem.
If there is a compelling reason for Delaware to risk losing nearly $200 million in food assistance for our needy families, then Gov. Meyer and Attorney General Jennings should explain it clearly. If no such reason exists, then Delaware should promptly comply, for the sake of the families who depend on these benefits and for the integrity of our public institutions.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
