Key facts
- Ohio and Georgia have disputed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's methods for identifying fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
- States claim the USDA's approach "insufficient" and "incorrectly identified" errors, conflating administrative mistakes with fraud.
- Ohio successfully disputed initial findings, reducing the estimated questioned costs by tens of millions of dollars.
- The USDA Inspector General's office stated that preliminary findings are part of an iterative process and not final conclusions.
- The administration's anti-fraud campaign, led by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Vice President JD Vance, has been codified by a presidential executive order.
The Trump administration's initiative to combat alleged fraud within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has encountered significant pushback from Republican-led states Ohio and Georgia. These states have criticized the Agriculture Department's (USDA) methods, deeming them "insufficient" and claiming that errors were "incorrectly identified." This challenges the administration's narrative of widespread fraud within the approximately $100 billion nutrition assistance program.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has been vocal in her campaign against SNAP fraud, frequently highlighting unconfirmed claims of beneficiaries owning luxury vehicles and publicizing arrests for alleged fraud. However, former USDA officials and employees suggest that the department's approach, particularly that of its Inspector General John Walk, may be mischaracterizing routine administrative errors and legitimate payments as fraudulent activity. For instance, Ohio successfully disputed initial findings, reducing the estimated questioned costs by tens of millions of dollars. Specific examples of disputed findings include children receiving benefits without an adult on the case and individuals over 110 years old being flagged as potentially fraudulent recipients.
In response to the criticisms, Inspector General John Walk stated that preliminary conclusions are shared with states for reconciliation and that these figures are part of an iterative process, not final determinations. He characterized the disagreements as a mischaracterization of routine processes. The pushback from Ohio and Georgia comes as SNAP enrollment has fallen by about 4.3 million people over the past year, following the implementation of tighter eligibility rules by Republicans. Former officials express concern that inflating fraud findings could erode public trust in critical nutrition programs.
The anti-fraud campaign, which includes Vice President JD Vance, was formalized by a presidential executive order. While the Inspector General's office is designed to be independent, Walk previously served as a senior advisor to Secretary Rollins and worked in the White House legal office during President Donald Trump's first term. Despite the states' extensive responses detailing inaccuracies, Walk indicated that his office will not alter its methods for other state assessments.