Overview
- A coalition of more than 20 states and the District of Columbia filed suit Monday in federal court in Washington to block a June Administration for Children and Families rule that would let other agencies access TANF recipient records.
- The ACF rule, announced in June, would let the agency share details such as immigration status and Social Security numbers with other parts of government and potentially private entities and is scheduled to take effect on August 11.
- The states argue the rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution by exceeding ACF's statutory authority and by effectively imposing new conditions on federally funded, state-administered TANF programs.
- The Biden administration's ACF has defended the change as a tool to verify whether states are checking recipients' citizenship or immigration status and to detect potential fraud in the $16 billion-a-year TANF program.
- State attorneys general warn the rule could deter eligible low-income families from applying for aid and note that earlier court rulings this year blocked federal attempts to withhold TANF-related funds, a precedent that could shape the current case.