The Trump administration is set to suspend aid for states run by Democrats that do not disclose identifying information about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries, including their immigration status.
Blue States Under Scrutiny
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Tuesday that the administration will cease federal funding to states that fail to provide the requested data. The decision affects states such as California, New York, and Minnesota.
Rollins stated on X on Tuesday that the department had asked all states to submit their data in February to identify any fraudulent activities in the system. While 29 Republican-led states complied, the Democrat-run states have refused to do so.
“No Data, No Money,” wrote Rollins.
“As of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states, until they comply, and they tell us and allow us to partner with them to root out this fraud and to protect the American taxpayer,” Rollins said during the president’s ninth cabinet meeting of the year.
She also criticized the Democrats for not taking more action to address the “rampant fraud” in the SNAP program. The department accused non-compliant states of prioritizing “illegals, criminals, and bad actors over the American taxpayer.”
USDA Tightens SNAP Rules Amid Fraud Claims
This move by the Trump administration follows a series of actions aimed at addressing alleged fraud within the SNAP program. In November, Rollins claimed widespread corruption in the program, including payments to thousands of deceased individuals and people collecting benefits in multiple states. The department ordered every recipient to reapply for benefits.
In another post on X on Tuesday, the USDA Secretary reiterated the requisites and thresholds to be eligible for SNAP benefits, which include 80 hours monthly of work, volunteering, training, or even studying for able-bodied adults aged 18-64. These revised requirements are also listed in Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill.
“What is it that you are hiding?” she also questioned the 21 Democrat-led states yet to submit the data.
While Rollins did not provide the specific fraud data, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, on Tuesday, estimated that states have reimbursed more than $320 million in benefits lost to theft between October 2022 and December 2024 through card cloning, phishing, card skimming, bot attacks, and more.
In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) uncovered a $66 million food stamp fraud and bribery scheme, leading to the arrest of a USDA employee and five others.
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