Restoring integrity and accountability to the SNAP program

In 1933, the federal government established the foundation of what would eventually become the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – better known as SNAP – when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the Agricultural Adjustment Act during the Great Depression. Now, almost 100 years later, 42 million people receive SNAP benefits, which costs American taxpayers approximately $145 billion every year. Naturally, as this government program has grown, waste, fraud, and abuse have also grown with it. While I support the mission of SNAP, we must also work to restore accountability and integrity to SNAP, ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent appropriately, punish criminals who defraud this program, and hold bureaucrats accountable to taxpayers.

In addition to rooting out SNAP fraud – which some experts claim drains the federal government of $25 billion annually – a large portion of SNAP waste can be traced directly to government dysfunction. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, national overpayments of SNAP benefits occurred at a rate of 9.84% and underpayments at a rate of 1.70% in Fiscal Year 2022, for a total error rate of 11.54%. Since Fiscal Year 2019, overpayments have increased by 3.66% in just four years’ time. As a result, SNAP overpayments account for nearly $1 billion in additional federal spending every single month. This is not only fiscally irresponsible, but also downright unacceptable.

As a strong, fiscal conservative, I believe that Congress must do everything possible to protect taxpayer dollars from being wasted or fraudulently disbursed. Regrettably, under the Biden administration, the sad reality is that waste, fraud, and abuse have become commonplace in our federal bureaucracy, weakening our already poor fiscal health and forcing American taxpayers to pick up the tab. It’s another example of why we need accountability in government, and SNAP is no exception.

In my view, ensuring that needy families can put food on the table and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse within SNAP is not a mutually exclusive goal. In fact, these two priorities complement one another. By implementing policies that reduce SNAP overpayments and root out waste, we can save taxpayer dollars and support the most vulnerable families in our communities.

That’s why I introduced the Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act, which would strengthen the integrity of SNAP by cutting down on overpayments of SNAP benefits. This legislation would increase the accuracy of SNAP payment error rate (PER) calculations by amending the tolerance level from $54 to $0. Currently, USDA only counts overpayments or underpayments that are more than $54 as an error, which adds up quickly at taxpayer expense. In no family financials or other industry would an error less than $54 not be accounted for. As such, we should be providing an accurate representation of what an error is, meaning that we should be counting every overpayment and underpayment, regardless of the dollar amount.

This bill would also increase the liability that states will face if they have a comparatively high payment error rate, incentivizing states to improve processes to ensure SNAP is running properly. Our federal and state governments should be held to the highest standards and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent properly. The Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act will do just that by bringing integrity into the system.

President Biden has already forced American families to pick up the tab for trillions of dollars in reckless spending. Taxpayers should also not be on the hook for fraud and overpayments in SNAP. The Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act will help eliminate waste and promote fiscal responsibility by restoring accountability to SNAP, asking bureaucrats to protect taxpayer dollars, and safeguarding precious resources for families in need.

This op-ed was originally published in the Northwest Iowa Review on April 3, 2024.