There are more than 40 million people in this country who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
When the government was shut down this fall, Donald Trump fought against Democrats who were suing to force the government to continue fully funding the program amid the closure.
As it turns out, there is quite a bit of fraud in the system, revealing the fact that the SNAP program needs an extensive audit and overhaul.
Democrat-led states sued Trump to use emergency funding to provide full benefits via the SNAP program during the government shutdown.
While Trump stated he would fund the program after an initial court order requiring him to do so, he soon began to push back.
The appellate court ruled, "The record here shows that the government sat on its hands for nearly a month, unprepared to make partial payments, while people who rely on SNAP received no benefits a week into November and counting.”
The administration filed its appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, which stayed the lower court order until oral arguments could be heard. This all became moot, however, once the shutdown was brought to an end.
Things started to get really interesting when USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins revealed that she had found massive fraud within the SNAP program that needed immediate attention.
She noted that roughly 80% of the people on SNAP benefits are able-bodied Americans who have the ability to work.
Rollins further claimed that 5,000 people who had passed away were still receiving SNAP benefits.
Not only that, but there were another 500,000 people who were receiving double benefits.
SNAP is there to put food on the table for people who cannot afford to buy groceries on their own, but this system is abused like no other. I can still remember people coming into the local corner store at 7 a.m. when I was a kid, buying hoagies and sometimes even cigarettes with their food stamps.
The situation has only gotten worse, as it was just revealed that nine states are accepting SNAP benefits at fast food restaurants. The total spending was staggering… $250 million. The states where this is taking place include Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia, with only Virginia having a Republican governor.
This is a blatant abuse of a program that was meant to help destitute people who are unable to afford essential nutrition. Sen. Jodi Ernst (R-IA) stated, "The ‘N’ in SNAP stands for nutrition not nuggets with a side of fries. I wish I was McRibbing you but $250 million per year at the drive-through is no joke and a serious waste of tax dollars. I hate to be the one to say McSCUSE ME, but something needs to be done because taxpayers are not lovin’ it."
The fraud and misuse of benefits are prime examples of why we need to audit these programs and better regulate them. Hard-working Americans are being taxed so that freeloaders can sit down at McDonald’s and Wendy’s to stuff their faces. It is just more government abuse that has been out of control for decades, and with every passing year, it gets worse and worse.
