ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Five weeks after political leaders in Maryland pushed back on threats of cutting SNAP as part of the federal government shutdown, potential funding cuts to the food stamp program are back after blue states have refused to turn over information like recipients’ birth dates, Social Security numbers and legal status.
“As of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states until they comply,” declared U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting.
The feds have argued it needs the information to root out fraud in the program.
Fraud, which the feds claim they have already found to be rampant in the limited data they have received, primarily from red states.
“When we found 186,000 dead people… dead peoples’ Social Security numbers being used. 500 ,000 people receiving benefits more than twice,” pointed out Rollins.
Non-compliant states have argued the request could violate the recipients’’ privacy and could be used to try to deport people.
Governor Moore’s Senior Press Secretary Ammar Moussa released a statement saying, in part, “The Trump Administration’s latest threat to withhold food assistance from states is as reckless as it is cruel.”
The USDA has assured states funding would be withheld that’s used to administer the programs, not from the benefits themselves, and some conservative lawmakers, including here in Maryland, say purging the rolls may be necessary.
“Are some folks out there? Do they really need it? Absolutely. My mother, my grandmother. When my mother was growing up, their family, they were on SNAP at the time. There are always some families who truly need it,” said Del. Chris Tomlinson, a Republican representing Carroll & Frederick counties, “Are there some people who are maybe abusing the system? I think absolutely, especially when you’re saying one out of eight Americans are on it.”
