Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly belatedly agreed to release federally requested SNAP data in a “victory” announcement Friday after seven months of refusal. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requested information from the states last July detailing who applied for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, over the past five years.  

Kelly claims she was protecting Kansans’ rights by withholding the data, as the request would have included private information such as Social Security numbers. Kelly claimed a fear, without proof, that the information potentially could be shared with foreign governments.

Kelly’s detractors argued her obstinance was, instead, intended to protect illegal immigrants. Ultimately, the USDA came to an agreement with the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) to keep the information private, Kelly claims. 

“Kansas has complied with federal and state laws throughout this entire process and all we have wanted is for the USDA to do the same,” she says in the press release. “In reaching this agreement, we have successfully preserved Kansans’ privacy against the threat posed by the USDA’s initial request that amounted to federal overreach and violation of data protection laws.”

However, the USDA never intended to share this information in the first place, The Sentinel reports. The information would only be released if the data showed criminal violations, which would then be permitted under federal law. 

House Speaker Daniel Hawkins pointed out a legislative committee found the state’s SNAP administering error rate was 12% last April, the highest in the region, Heartlander News reported. 

He reacted to Kelly’s announcement in a release of his own. 

“Back in August, we called it what it was: the Kelly cover-up,” he said. “Governor Kelly refused to release SNAP eligibility data the federal government required, dragged the state through months of unnecessary legal fights, and wasted taxpayer dollars in the process.”

During the months of Kelly’s inexplicable delay, the USDA moved to withhold over $10 million in SNAP administration funds – not benefits – and Attorney General Kris Kobach sued Kelly’s administration in an attempt to get the data released. 

“Now, seven months later,” Hawkins said, “she’s declaring victory for doing exactly what she was legally obligated to do from the beginning.”

Vice President JD Vance confronted Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers for also withholding state SNAP data from the administration, which is investigating possible fraud nationwide. 

“Ask yourself a question – why would the government of Wisconsin not want to help us kick fraud off of the welfare rolls, and kick fraud off of the voter rolls?” Vance said. “And the only answer I can possibly come up with is because they like to cheat. There’s no other real explanation.”

As for Kelly, Hawkins said of Kelly’s intransigence, “That’s not leadership. That’s political theater at YOUR expense.

“Kansans deserve to know if there’s waste, fraud, and abuse in our programs. Instead, they got delays, legal bills, and a phony victory lap when the Governor knew she was out of options.”

(Photo Credit: Peter Wendt, Unsplash)