The USDA’s initial review of SNAP data from 29 states reveals substantial fraud and misuse within the program that serves more than 40 million Americans. Preliminary findings include about 226,000 fraudulent claims, 691,000 unauthorized transactions, roughly 186,000 cases of benefits issued to deceased individuals, and about 500,000 duplicate recipients across states. Stolen benefits cost over $102 million in Q1 FY2025. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has ordered a reapplication process for recipients as officials work to tighten oversight while protecting access for eligible households.
USDA Data Spotlight States With Biggest SNAP Fraud Losses as Officials Move to Reassess Program
The USDA’s initial review of SNAP data from 29 states reveals substantial fraud and misuse within the program that serves more than 40 million Americans. Preliminary findings include about 226,000 fraudulent claims, 691,000 unauthorized transactions, roughly 186,000 cases of benefits issued to deceased individuals, and about 500,000 duplicate recipients across states. Stolen benefits cost over $102 million in Q1 FY2025. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has ordered a reapplication process for recipients as officials work to tighten oversight while protecting access for eligible households.
04:53 AM, 11/20/2025Economy
New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveal substantial fraud and improper activity within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest food-assistance program serving more than 40 million people.
What the data show
The USDA’s initial review — based on recipient information voluntarily provided by 29 states — found thousands of irregularities, including benefits issued to deceased individuals and duplicate claims across multiple states. These preliminary figures cover the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 and exclude states that have not yet submitted complete data.
- Fraud and unauthorized activity: More than 226,000 fraudulent SNAP benefit claims and over 691,000 unauthorized transactions were approved nationwide. Unauthorized transactions typically involve purchases the recipient did not authorize and can result from card skimming, cloning, or other electronic theft.
- Deceased and duplicate recipients: The partial dataset identified about 186,000 cases where benefits were issued to deceased individuals and roughly 500,000 instances of people receiving SNAP benefits in more than one state.
- State hotspots: Among reporting states, Alabama reported the highest count of stolen benefit claims (more than 26,000), followed closely by California (25,818) and New York (25,210).
- Financial impact: Stolen benefits totaled more than $102 million in the first quarter of FY2025, up from $69.4 million in the previous quarter and $31.9 million in the same quarter a year earlier.
Policy response and context
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has made reexamining SNAP a stated early priority and has directed states to submit recipient records to help identify irregularities. The administration has proposed that all SNAP recipients reapply for benefits as part of efforts to strengthen program integrity.
"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," Secretary Rollins said in a media interview.
SNAP’s size helps explain why fraud can add up quickly. Federal spending on SNAP rose to $128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022 — levels driven largely by pandemic-era relief — and totaled roughly $99.8 billion last year, with participants receiving an average of about $187 per month.
Limitations and next steps
These figures are preliminary: they cover only the first quarter of FY2025 and exclude non-reporting states, so totals may rise as more data arrive. USDA and state agencies say they are continuing to analyze the data and pursue measures to improve fraud detection and controls while officials emphasize the need to preserve access for eligible households.