Gov. Andy Beshear has joined a multistate lawsuit challenging what he called the Trump administration’s “unlawful” attempt to access personal information from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients, according to the Governor’s office. Beshear joined 23 other states and the Distri ct of Columbia in the lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., challenging a new regulation that would allow the federal government to share TANF data, including Social Security numbers, addresses, and immigration status, with other agencies including the Department of Homeland Security. The Administration for Children and Families issued the policy notice in June, with the new regulation set to take effect August 11. “I joined this lawsuit because no Kentuckian – and no American – should have to worry about their confidential and personal information being shared unlawfully,” Beshear said in a statement. The states argue that the law enacting TANF specifically put states, not the federal government, in charge of verifying applicants’ eligibility for benefits. Attorneys general in the coalition say the policy violates the Administrative Procedure Act and violates privacy laws that limit how the government can share personal data. The lawsuit contends the policy could deter those legally qualified to receive benefits from applying due to privacy concerns. The Trump administration defends the data sharing as necessary to combat fraud. TANF, created in 1996, provides billions of dollars each year to states to assist low-income families with children. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges filed by state and local governments against the Trump administration over federal data access. Sources Office of the Governor New York Attorney General – Attorney General James Sues Trump Administration to Protect Vulnerable New Yorkers’ Personal Information Union Bulletin – Beshear joins lawsuit to shield TANF data from Trump administration The Hill – Blue states sue Trump administration for data sharing on cash assistance program GV Wire – States Sue Over Trump Policy of Sharing Benefits Data With Immigration Authorities This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Office of the Governor, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshearprId=2810. View in feeds The post Beshear Joins Multistate Lawsuit Opposing Data Sharing Rule appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less