As sure as the sun comes up in the east, there's fraud in the nation's welfare programs. Now and then, we get a vivid reminder of not only this, but also just how prevalent this fraud is - and how blatant. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins spoke with Fox News' Laura Ingraham, discussing the analysis of the states that returned SNAP program information to the Department of Agriculture. Secretary Rollins laid out some startling statistics.
🚨Sec. Brooke Rollins uncovers STUNNING fraud inside America’s welfare system.🚨
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) November 13, 2025
"5,000 DEAD PEOPLE getting SNAP. And 500,000 PEOPLE getting SNAP twice under the same name."
"This light has now been shined on one of the most CORRUPT, DISFUNCTIONAL programs in American history."… pic.twitter.com/Qod8MD7TWC
The post continues:
"This light has now been shined on one of the most CORRUPT, DISFUNCTIONAL programs in American history."
"80% of able-bodied Americans on these benefits CAN work. They choose not to work because taxpayers are footing the bill."
"VERY big announcements coming next week on this… we have a plan to FIX it."
Here's what Secretary Rollins had to say:
But of the 29 (states) that complied is staggering. Half a million people getting benefits two times under the same name. 5,000 dead people. 80 percent of the able-bodied Americans, meaning they can work, they don't have small children at home, they're not taking care of an elderly parent, they can work and they choose not to work. Of course, because they're getting significant benefits from the taxpayers. So this light, Laura, that has now been shined on what is perhaps one of the most corrupt, dysfunctional programs in American history, that we are working on, very big announcements coming next week on this. We are cracking down. We now have a plan to fix it, and that we're really, really excited about doing that for the American people.
This is, of course, nothing new, as Laura Ingraham points out.
Read More: Shenanigans! Over a Dozen States Outmaneuver the Supreme Court and Take Full SNAP Money Anyway
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We should look forward to upcoming announcements on this with great interest; this is clearly a badly broken system in need of an overhaul, and as for the healthy, able-bodied adults Secretary Rollins describes, the ones with no children or elderly parents in the home, to them I would say, "If you do not work, then you shall not eat." There is no moral or practical reason these people should be eating at taxpayer expense.
I can think of a few ways to fix this mess: Regular audits of the system. Work requirements for beneficiaries. Strict identification requirements for applying to the program. Home visits for beneficiaries, to make sure claimed dependents are really there. And, of course, strict and severe limits on what can be purchased with SNAP benefits. The incentives at the moment are all wrong. I'm not quite to the level of advocating for community gruel pots, but there's no reason taxpayers should be buying steak and lobster for SNAP beneficiaries, either.
And, finally, this: If you are found to have committed any fraud of the SNAP system, any fraud at all, be it misrepresentation of your household, selling off benefits for unapproved purchases, or anything else, you get hit with a lifetime ban. As in, forever.
There will always be people who find ways to game any system. But a few reforms could go a long way towards cleaning up this one.
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