Trump Administration to Require All SNAP Recipients to Reapply in Sweeping Anti-Fraud Crackdown

The Trump administration announced Monday it will require all 41 million recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to reapply for benefits, part of a sweeping crackdown on waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal food aid system.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the move is intended to restore integrity to a program that has seen explosive growth and growing misuse in recent years. Speaking on Fox Business’ Mornings with Maria, Rollins declared: “Business as usual is over. The status quo is no more.”

SNAP, once designed as a safety net for low-income families, has become a $100 billion-plus program with little oversight, Rollins warned. “We have found this system to be rife with fraud, duplication, and improper payments—but we’re just getting started,” she said.

Shortly after assuming her post in February, Rollins ordered all 50 states to submit recipient data for review. So far, only 29 states—mostly Republican-led—have complied. Yet even this partial data has revealed staggering irregularities:

• 186,000 dead individuals were still receiving SNAP benefits

• 500,000 people were collecting SNAP in multiple states

• Over 226,000 fraudulent claims were approved

• More than 691,000 unauthorized transactions were identified

The total cost of stolen or misused benefits in Q1 of fiscal year 2025 alone: $102 million—a steep rise from $31.9 million just a year earlier.

Rollins pointed to rising levels of card skimming, cloning, and digital theft, where Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards are compromised without the user’s knowledge. “Our investigators have found thousands and thousands of illegal uses of the EBT card,” she said.

The administration’s anti-fraud campaign has already removed approximately 700,000 individuals from the SNAP rolls and led to at least 118 arrests, with more expected.

During the Biden era, federal spending on SNAP soared to record highs—$128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022—fueled by pandemic-era expansions and loosened eligibility rules. Though spending dropped slightly in 2024, the average recipient still receives $187 per month in benefits.

“Under the previous administration, SNAP was expanded beyond recognition,” Rollins said. “We’re not going to allow a broken, bloated system to continue unchecked—especially when it’s hurting the very families it’s supposed to help.”

States will now be required to verify that every single participant still qualifies under federal eligibility rules. This includes checking for income thresholds, citizenship status, and cross-checking recipients across state lines. Those who do not respond or fail to requalify will be removed from the program.

The policy comes as food assistance and government spending face renewed scrutiny from voters. Rollins said the government shutdown earlier this year “put SNAP in the eye of the average everyday American,” who finally began asking, “Where is all this money really going?”

With over 1 in 8 Americans on SNAP—including high concentrations in places like New Mexico, Washington, D.C., Louisiana, and Oregon—Rollins emphasized the program must be protected for the truly needy.

“There are vulnerable families in America that need this program,” she said. “And they’re not getting the help they deserve because of the fraud and abuse we’ve tolerated for far too long.”

The Trump administration has signaled that this is just the first phase of its broader plan to restore fiscal responsibility and accountability across the federal government—starting with the very programs that directly affect tens of millions of Americans.