Updated USDA figures and comments from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins signal major structural changes coming to SNAP, aimed at cutting fraud after benefits were reinstated following a 43-day government shutdown.
According to the agency’s first-quarter FY2025 review, investigators identified more than 226,000 fraudulent claims and over 691,000 unauthorized transactions. The total estimated loss exceeds $102 million.
The data — drawn from 29 participating states — point to two main sources of abuse: roughly 186,000 benefit accounts tied to deceased individuals and about 500,000 duplicate recipients. Alabama, California, and New York reported the highest numbers of stolen-claim cases.
In response, the administration will require every SNAP recipient to reapply and complete a new certification process. States have also been ordered to share recipient records with federal officials; 29 states have already complied.
Rollins said the goal is to protect access for families who genuinely rely on the program. “We have to make sure for those that really need this benefit that we are able to make sure that it’s going to the right people. So, we’re making a lot of structural changes in SNAP,” she said. Rollins added that fraud has left some eligible households without support and promised a broad fix: “There are vulnerable families in America that need this program that aren’t getting it because of the fraud and abuse that now we’re going to work to fix.”
She said benefits will be fully restored and indicated further policy updates will be announced the week after Thanksgiving.
SNAP supported an average of 41.7 million people per month in FY2024, with total spending at $99.8 billion.
Looking ahead, a separate rule taking effect in 2028 raises the stakes for state oversight. States with payment error rates above 6% could lose federal SNAP funding — a shift the Congressional Budget Office estimates might impact around 300,000 people.
