Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will undergo major changes, even though regular funding has resumed now that the government shutdown is over.
On "NewsNation Now," Rollins said, "Clearly there's a right-sizing that needs to happen with the program."
After the 43-day shutdown ended, Rollins announced that SNAP beneficiaries must reapply in order to eliminate suspected fraud, adding that other changes to the benefits program will be announced after Thanksgiving.
"We have to make sure that for those who really need this benefit, it's going to the right people," she said. "So, we're making a lot of structural changes in SNAP."
Rollins said that before the shutdown, USDA data from 29 Republican-led states showed that 186,000 deceased enrollees were still receiving SNAP benefits and 500,000 people were receiving benefits twice.
"And that just includes the states that have sent their data in," Rollins said. "That doesn't include most of the blue states, where we believe there's even more fraud and abuse."
She added that SNAP benefits increased by 40% under the Biden administration. "The unintended consequence of the Democrat shutdown is that the spotlight has been shined on this," she said, "and we have to make sure that for those who really need this benefit, it's going to the right people."
In fiscal 2024, SNAP served an average of 41.7 million people each month, with federal spending totaling $99.8 billion, about $187.20 per recipient monthly, according to the USDA.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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