Trump administration cites widespread misuse of SNAP as funding lapses during shutdown

As the Trump administration works to bring the nation’s largest food aid program back online, attention is shifting to just how expansive the program has become and to the administration’s push to ensure illegal immigrants aren’t among its recipients.

Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), meant to be a lifeline for low-income households, was set to expire over the weekend as the government shutdown entered its second month.

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The sweeping program, which supports more than 40 million Americans, was among the first priorities Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins targeted for review, citing concerns about eligibility and oversight.

“We sent letters to every governor in America being very clear that no illegal aliens can use SNAP, zero, zero, zero. We asked every state for the first time in history, this was in February, to send us their data,” Rollins said during an interview on “Fox & Friends Weekend.” 

She added that so far only 29 states have complied with the request, but Rollins said even that limited data has already revealed significant misuse.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said investigators found 5,000 dead people still receiving SNAP benefits. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

“We have found thousands and thousands of illegal use of the EBT card, we have been moving people off of SNAP, we’ve got about 700,000 people that we’ve moved off SNAP since the president took office, and we’ve arrested about 118 people,” Rollins said.

She added that investigators also discovered about 5,000 dead people who were still receiving benefits.

“It is time to drastically reform this program, so that we can make sure that those who are truly needy and truly vulnerable are getting what they need and the rest of the corruption goes away so that we can serve the American taxpayer,” she added.

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Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) says about 41.7 million Americans, or one in eight households, rely on SNAP benefits each month. 

The highest share of beneficiaries live in New Mexico, Washington, D.C. and Louisiana, followed by Oregon, according to USDA data.

Under former President Joe Biden, federal spending on SNAP reached record highs, $128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022, as pandemic-era aid expanded food assistance. Last year, SNAP cost $99.8 billion, with monthly benefits averaging $187 per participant, according to federal figures.

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Adults ages 18 to 59 made up the largest share of SNAP recipients at 42%, according to USDA data. Many participants also relied on other government assistance, with 61% receiving income from programs such as Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or state aid.

With millions of Americans depending on SNAP for food assistance, the program has become a focal point in the legal and political battles over government spending during the shutdown. A pair of federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled Friday that the Trump administration must use emergency funds to finance the program.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that SNAP funding could come back online as early as Wednesday.

“There’s a process that has to be followed. So, we’ve got to figure out what the process is,” Bessent said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “President Trump wants to make sure that people get their food benefits.”