A new batch of federal data is raising alarms about the scale of fraud within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), revealing how much the nation’s largest food assistance program is costing taxpayers through misuse.
According to Fox News, the findings come at a moment of heightened scrutiny. SNAP, which supports more than 40 million Americans, faced the prospect of a funding lapse during the recent government shutdown standoff.
That renewed attention has been welcomed by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who said the Trump administration intends to tighten eligibility and crack down on abuse.
Rollins told Fox Business on Monday that all SNAP recipients will soon be required to reapply for benefits as part of an effort to curb fraud.
“There are vulnerable families in America that need this program that aren’t getting it because of the fraud and abuse that now we’re going to work to fix,” Rollins said.
Rollins has made reviewing SNAP one of her top priorities, citing concerns about how the program expanded during former President Joe Biden’s administration.
At its peak during the COVID-19 era, SNAP spending reached unprecedented levels — $128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022 — driven by emergency measures that broadened access.
Even last year, the program cost nearly $100 billion, with recipients averaging $187 a month in benefits.
In February, Rollins instructed states to submit detailed data on recipients in an effort to identify misuse. Only 29 states, mostly Republican-led, have complied so far, but the partial data set already exposes major vulnerabilities.
According to Rollins, states have reported 186,000 deceased individuals still receiving benefits, and roughly 500,000 people collecting SNAP in more than one state.
Preliminary figures from the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service show Alabama leading the nation in stolen benefits, with more than 26,000 claims filed. California follows closely with 25,818 stolen benefit claims, while New York ranks third with 25,210.
Across the country, more than 226,000 fraudulent benefit claims and 691,000 unauthorized transactions have been approved. Most cases stem from card skimming, cloning, or other forms of electronic theft — and the data shows that fraudulent claims and transactions are more likely to be approved than denied.
Financial losses are rising quickly. Stolen benefits cost the government more than $102 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 — a sharp increase from $69.4 million in the previous quarter and more than triple the $31.9 million reported during the same period last year.
The figures represent only the first quarter and exclude states that have not yet reported full data, suggesting the total may be even higher once all states comply.
