Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sounded the alarm Saturday about widespread fraud and corruption within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), popularly known as food stamps, during her appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
Rollins described the level of abuse, which includes “double dipping and selling benefits,” as “astounding,” suggesting that the immense public reaction to her previous discussion on the topic—which garnered 40 million views—indicates that Americans are paying attention and demand that the government be “cleaned up.”
The Secretary highlighted a major source of concern based on findings suggesting that a significant portion—up to 50 to 60 percent—of households headed by illegal immigrants rely on SNAP benefits and similar programs.
Rollins stated that her department had immediately sought data from governors across the country to ensure “no illegal aliens on any SNAP or food stamp or WIC program, period, full stop.” She noted that while many states claimed not to participate, the 29 (mostly red) states that provided data revealed “astounding” findings, reinforcing her assertion that there is “massive massive fraud in the program.”
However, she also emphasized the reality that legitimate, needy American families rely on the program to feed their children, urging an end to the government shutdown that was threatening funds.
Rollins’ appearance followed a high-profile legal battle, as the Supreme Court had temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring the full funding of SNAP aid during the ongoing government shutdown. She criticized the initial ruling by a “very leftist judge in Rhode Island” that she claimed essentially told the executive branch to “go create the money” to fund a program that Congress had refused to appropriate funds for.
She praised the Supreme Court’s action, noting that Justice Ketanji Brown had temporarily stayed the order, ruling that it was likely unconstitutional to simply create money to fund a program that Congress would not fund. RELATED: SNAP Gap Confusion: Supreme Court Halts Full November SNAP Payment Order
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