SNAP fraud reaches 226,000 claims as Trump admin demands new application

New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals the states where the nation’s largest food assistance program costs taxpayers the most due to fraud and abuse.

The size and scope of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which supports more than 40 million Americans, has come under intense scrutiny over the past decade. government shutdown as funding for the massive food aid program was about to run out.

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The focus on the program, intended to be a lifeline for low-income households, was praised by the agriculture secretary. Brooke Rollins, who told Fox Business on Monday that the Trump administration would require all SNAP participants to reapply for benefits in an effort to prevent fraud.

Under former President Joe Biden’s administration, federal spending on SNAP reached record levels at $128 billion in 2021. (Brent Lewin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Rollins has previously said one of his first priorities is to reevaluate SNAP, amid concerns about who is eligible and how the program is monitored.

“There are vulnerable families in America who need this program and are not benefiting from it because of the fraud and abuse that we will now work to correct,” Rollins said.

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The scale of the program is striking.

Under the former president That of Joe Biden administration, federal spending on SNAP reached record levels at $128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022, largely due to COVID-19 relief measures that expanded access to food assistance.

Last year, SNAP cost $99.8 billion, with participants receiving an average of $187 in monthly benefits, according to federal data.

As part of her review of SNAP benefits, Rollins said she asked states in February to share data on recipients.

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So far, only 29 states, mostly led by Republicans, have complied.

She said even limited data has already revealed significant abuses, including 186,000 deceased people receiving benefits and about 500,000 people receiving SNAP aid in more than one state.

Initial data from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service shows Alabama leads the nation with more than 26,000 stolen SNAP benefit claims. California follows with 25,818 stolen benefits claims, and New York ranks third with 25,210.

Nationally, more than 226,000 fraudulent applications for SNAP benefits and more than 691,000 unauthorized transactions were approved. Fraudulent transactions are classified as purchases that SNAP recipients did not authorize, often the result of card skimming, cloning, or other forms of electronic theft.

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Additionally, data shows that fraudulent applications and transactions are more likely to be approved than denied, highlighting oversight gaps.

These stolen benefits cost the government more than $102 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, compared to $69.4 million in the previous quarter and $31.9 million in the same period a year earlier.

The figures cover only the first quarter of fiscal 2025 and exclude states that have not yet reported complete data.