As SNAP funding lapsed, a top official called the program 'corrupt'

"As the controversy over funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown dragged on in recent days, the top official in charge of the program pivoted to a new talking point, calling the program that some 42 million Americans rely on, "corrupt." Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins described SNAP at a recent press conference as, "so bloated, so broken, so dysfunctional, so corrupt that it is astonishing when you dig in.""

"The message came as headlines highlighted food banks warning of an impending crisis as money ran out over the weekend for SNAP recipients. The Trump administration announced Monday it would partially restore some federal food assistance payments after being ordered by two federal judges to do so, but warned they would be delayed. Rollins asserted on X on Sunday that an unprecedented and controversial data demand her agency made to states earlier this year had revealed troubling things about SNAP."

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered states to turn over the personal data of all SNAP recipients over the last five years, including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and addresses. "[W]e told every state to send us their SNAP data so we could make sure illegal immigrants aren't getting benefits meant for American families," Rollins wrote. "In just the states that cooperated, we've already uncovered massive fraud," the post continues."

Brooke Rollins characterized SNAP as severely flawed and corrupt, saying an agency data demand exposed troubling findings. The USDA ordered states to provide five years of recipient personal data, including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and addresses, citing a need to ensure ineligible immigrants do not receive benefits. Food banks warned of a crisis as SNAP funds ran out, and two federal judges ordered partial restoration of some federal food assistance payments, which the administration said would be delayed. Undocumented immigrants remain ineligible, and certain lawfully present noncitizens are verified through a federal data system.

Read at www.npr.org