The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps put food on the table for tens of millions of people in the United States, especially during times of economic hardship. As a result of H.R. 1, more than 5 million people have lost access to SNAP because of changes that have made it significantly more difficult for eligible families to receive their benefits. While these cuts have been justified as necessary to fight fraud, this brief explains why targeting SNAP for fraud reduction is misguided and counterproductive.
The brief demonstrates that the supposed “fraud” targeted by H.R. 1 is actually administrative error. The goal of this publication is to reframe the conversation, urging policymakers and the public to focus on real sources of waste and fraud in government—like tax evasion and unchecked defense spending—rather than punishing families in need.