The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is still delivered on cards with magnetic stripes that are vulnerable to skimming, where criminals steal card data and PIN entries, make fake cards and spend the money.
The 2023 appropriations law included a temporary authority for states to replace stolen benefits with federal funds. That provision was extended in the continuing resolution passed in September, but it is set to expire Friday with the end of the current stopgap.
Over $150 million in benefits have been replaced since states started refunding stolen money with federal funds in January 2023, according to USDA data.
“Unless Congress acts by Friday, funds used to reimburse people whose SNAP benefits were stolen by electronic skimming of their EBT cards will expire,” said Ashley Burnside, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy, or CLASP. “It would be especially devastating for families to lose access to this protection this close to the holiday season, when food expenses and bills often rise for families.”
“Only Congress can extend the replacement of stolen benefits by extending the law that provides federal reimbursement to states for stolen benefit replacement,” a USDA spokesperson told Nextgov/FCW in a statement. An administration official told Nextgov/FCW that the White House “strongly supports further extending this protection.”
“SNAP is a vital nutrition safety net for low-income Americans. When benefits are stolen, SNAP participants’ ability to feed their families is threatened,” they said. Over 40 million people get the benefit monthly.
Agriculture is trying to move states to m ..
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