Tipsheet

Rollins To Reform SNAP Program

Scott McClallen
Scott McClallen  |  November 13, 2025 5:01 PM

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that her agency found fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that helps feed nearly 42 million people in fiscal year 2024 at a federal cost of over $100 billion. 

The news follows the federal government reforming the program by banning the purchase of junk food and soda in multiple states. 

SNAP benefits may be used to buy eligible food at over 261,000 authorized stores. Monthly benefit amounts vary based on household size and financial circumstances, and benefits are issued on electronic benefits transfer cards. States administer the SNAP program, but the federal government partially funds it and oversees the program. 

Policymakers have long been interested in measuring and reducing errors and fraud in SNAP.

This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture busted a $66 million SNAP fraud scam, Townhall reported. 

Program error and fraud can be organized into four main types: Trafficking SNAP benefits—the illicit sale of SNAP benefits by retailers and recipients; SNAP retailer application fraud, errors and fraud by households applying for SNAP—unintentional or intentional recipient actions resulting in incorrect SNAP amounts; errors and fraud by SNAP state agencies—unintentional or intentional state agency actions resulting in incorrect SNAP amounts; and SNAP Scams—fraud perpetrated by external actors against SNAP recipients resulting in the theft of federal assistance.


Over 20 states refused to give SNAP data to the federal government, Townhall reported. 

In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated 11.7 percent or about $10.5 billion) of SNAP benefits that it paid were improper—meaning that payments were the wrong amount or otherwise should not have been made.

Rollins teased an announcement for next week.