Op-Ed: Data handover gives feds details on 1 in 5 Vt. households

August 12, 2025  | By Rebecca Holcombe

On March 20, 2025, the Trump Administration issued an executive order directing agency heads “to ensure the Federal Government has unfettered access to comprehensive data from all State programs that receive Federal funding,” and “eliminate information silos” by consolidating datasets across the federal government. Creating a  mega-database of American citizens could give federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the IRS searchable access to over 300 categories of your personal data, including your private medical and psychiatric records, your detailed financial records, and photographs. 

Last week, 21 states and the District of Columbia sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture, seeking to block an order to turn over state-sensitive personal and financial data on people who have depended on food stamps in any of the last five years. In Vermont, these people include U.S.-born children of immigrants, families who have experienced a job disruption, and, disproportionately, families with children. 

In contrast with leaders in states that are fighting back, Gov. Phil Scott handed over Vermonters’ personal data without the consent of the individuals involved. In Vermont, data collected for one purpose is now being shared and used in ways that violate the terms and assumptions under which it was collected. This is a shocking violation that affects at least one in five households in Vermont.  

Again, not all governors and states took this approach. In contrast to Gov. Scott, many states fought this federal demand, which violates even the federal government's guidance on data privacy. As California Attorney General Rob Bonta explained, “It’s a bait-and-switch of the worst kind. SNAP recipients provided this information to get help feeding their families not to be entered into a government surveillance database or be used as targets in the president's inhumane immigration agenda.”

Gov. Scott may not have been concerned, but DOGE staffers have expressed concerns about the mishandling of sensitive data and the significant risks related to how these data may be used. A letter of resignation signed by 21 staffers stated: “We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services.” 

The obvious immediate concern: the federal government plans to use the collected information for law enforcement and immigration enforcement. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, who requested the data from Gov. Scott, is a vocal advocate of “mass deportations” and giving migrants “no amnesty under any circumstances."  Given the brutality and indiscriminate nature of recent arrests, many Vermonters are concerned about becoming complicit in a policy of harassment and aggression against our neighbors. If the data is in use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), it could be used to identify friends and neighbors of “persons of interest.” It could be used to target people who are not citizens. 

Gov. Scott decided not to send the National Guard to assist ICE. However, per Vermont Public, the governor just shared the “names, dates of birth, social security numbers and addresses of all members of any household that has received SNAP benefits over the past five years,” as well as food preferences. In other words, Gov. Scott effectively handed ICE the home addresses and citizenship status of a fifth of Vermont households.

Again, when people signed up for state-run programs such as unemployment insurance or SNAP, they did not consent to have their data shared with DOGE for unspecified purposes. SNAP is a health and nutrition program, not a surveillance tool.

Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark, who is already suing to protect your Medicaid records, stated that she would have “absolutely” worked with the administration to fight the order. However, she told Vermont Public, “... [The Scott administration is] approaching this in a way that prevents me from being able to join a lawsuit.”

Gov. Scott decided to hand off sensitive personal and financial data on tens of thousands of Vermonters without their consent. Now it can’t be taken back.

Contrast that with the leadership of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who defended the rights of his people with the words: “No Kentuckian — no American — should have their confidential and personal information or data unlawfully shared.”

State Rep. Rebecca Holcombe, D-Norwich, is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and a former Vermont Secretary of Education.