Just as recipients seemed to be rejoicing the shutdown is over and their food will return, the Trump administration says it will require all recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to reapply.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said data from 29 Republican states alone revealed thousands of dead people receiving benefits and some people receiving multiple payments, and anticipated once blue states reported their data, there would be many more. She made the announcement about new fraud data and reapplication on Newsmax, but did not provide details on how or when people will have to reapply.
"(We want to) make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayer-funded benefit through ... food stamps, that they literally are vulnerable and they can’t survive without it," Rollins said, emphasizing the administration's commitment to cracking down on fraud.
SNAP, which serves nearly 42 million Americans, cost roughly $100 billion in 2024, Politico reported, emphasizing that anti-hunger groups say there’s not nearly as much fraud as the Trump administration alleges and note that SNAP only issues about $6 a day in benefits to the average participant.
Most food stamp recipients typically update their information about jobs, pay, family size, etc., every six to 12 months to the state that administers the funds to re-certify their eligibility for government food assistance -- although Rollins claimed on Thursday that she had learned, “186,000 deceased men and women and children in this country are receiving a check.”
"USDA did not immediately respond to a request to clarify a timeline for Rollins’ new plan or how it differs from current state-level requirements for participants to reapply for the program," Politico noted.
Following it up, a USDA spokesperson told The Hill, “Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends. Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it. Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work. As well as ongoing analysis of State data, further regulatory work, and improved collaboration with States."