Millions of Americans who rely on SNAP benefits each month to cover grocery costs may soon have to reapply to receive benefits.
In an interview with Fox Business, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) participants will have to reapply for benefits in an effort to prevent fraud.
“SNAP is a broken program. SNAP is full of corruption,” he told CNN.
SNAP provides monthly benefits to about 42 million people nationwide – an average of about $190 per person.
The move could put recipients in a position where many did not receive November benefits due to the US government’s longest-ever shutdown, forcing families to stand in lines to receive assistance from other organizations.
Rollins claimed that 186,000 deceased men and women were receiving benefits and that 500,000 people were receiving SNAP benefits twice under the same name.
“The Democrat shutdown has given us a platform to completely rebuild [SNAP] program, make sure that those vulnerable Americans who really need that benefit are going to get that benefit … also protect the taxpayers,” Rollins told Fox.
According to Fox News report, data from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicates that more than 226,000 fraudulent benefit claims and more than 691,000 fraudulent transactions have been approved.
Rollins asked in a post on
Saying that now is the time to clean up SNAP, the Agriculture Secretary said,
“This is exactly what happens when a massive program runs on outdated lists and zero accountability.”
Rollins claimed that recipients increased by 40% under the Biden administration.
Earlier last month, Rollins said investigators had found thousands of illegal uses of electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards.
However, it is unclear when the re-application process will begin.
An Agriculture Department spokesperson did not specify, but said in a statement that the standard recertification process for households is part of a plan to eliminate fraud, abuse and waste, the AP reported.
