Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has joined 23 other states in suing the Trump administration to block it from sharing welfare data. The lawsuit takes aim at policy changes that would give broad access to sensitive and private information of American families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.
Protecting Kentuckians’ Private Information
According to Beshear’s office, more than 28,200 Kentuckians rely on TANF. Beshear stated, “I joined this lawsuit because no Kentuckian – and no American – should have to worry about their confidential and personal information being shared unlawfully.” The Administration for Children and Families issued a notice in June saying it was expanding oversight for TANF programs, which would include sharing detailed records on TANF recipients with federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security.
Under this new policy, TANF recipients’ Social Security numbers, addresses, immigration status, and other sensitive data would be shared across the federal government and potentially with private organizations. The lawsuit claims this action by ACF would be illegal.
Original reporting: WLKY Louisville — read the source article.
