WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins once again claimed the SNAP food assistance program is rife with “fraud” and that deceased people receiving benefits, but assured recipients the reapplication process following the government shutdown won’t be “too onerous.”
“We really want to make sure those who are receiving this supplemental nutrition benefit, it was never meant for the long term, are really those who need it,” she said on “NewsNation Live. “Whatever that reapplication looks like, we’re working on that right now, it won’t be too onerous.”
Rollins did not specify whether she was suggesting an additional requirement or referring to the current one that mandates people to periodically recertify their income and other information.
SNAP provides monthly benefits — averaging around $190 per person — to about 42 million people nationwide. During the first couple weeks of November, many of those recipients missed their regular allotments.
Under federal law, most households must report their income and basic information every four to six months and be fully recertified for SNAP at least every 12 months. Full recertification can occur every 24 months for households where all adults are age 60 and above or have disabilities.
But states can require more frequent eligibility verifications. Last year, 27 states required at least some households to be fully recertified every four to six months, depending on their household circumstances, according to a USDA report.