A sweeping review of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) led by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has uncovered widespread fraud and abuse, as part of an investigation during the ongoing government shutdown. Rollins revealed the results of a multi-state audit, showing electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards holding balances exceeding $10,000, accounts tied to nonexistent individuals, and recipients receiving benefits from multiple states simultaneously.

The SNAP program, created during the Great Depression, now serves 42 million Americans—one in eight residents. Participation surged under the Biden administration, driven in part by pandemic-related policies and a recalculation of food benefits that increased average payouts. Rollins reported that SNAP exploded by over 40% in recent years, adding billions in new taxpayer costs.

So far, 29 states—primarily conservative-led—have cooperated with the federal audit. Their data has already led to the removal of nearly 700,000 ineligible recipients and 118 arrests. Some of the worst abuse cases involve individuals drawing benefits from as many as six different states at once. Others involve EBT cards that haven’t been used in years or are being used to slowly preserve eligibility by making minimal purchases every nine months.

Rollins called SNAP “a broken and corrupt program” and accused Democrat-run states like New York, California, and Illinois of stonewalling the review. These states have refused to turn over their records and are reportedly filing lawsuits to block the federal government from examining their administration of the program.

Welfare fraud investigator Andrew McClenahan of the United Council on Welfare Fraud said the findings are only the tip of the iceberg. He confirmed that it’s not unusual to see cards with tens of thousands of dollars loaded onto them, often tied to identities that no longer exist—or never did.

In addition to fraud, there’s evidence that SNAP money has been illegally transferred or laundered, including being sold for cash at discounts or sent overseas to criminal and terrorist organizations. Despite a 1996 federal law barring non-citizens from receiving benefits, illegal immigrants have also been found on the rolls, even in red states.

The government is supposed to purge unused SNAP balances after nine months, but a single low-cost transaction is enough to keep the card active indefinitely. This loophole has allowed tens of thousands of dormant or fraudulent accounts to quietly accumulate benefits over time.

Rollins’s investigation raises serious questions about program oversight, state compliance, and federal enforcement. As the Biden administration continues expanding government programs, conservative watchdogs and investigators argue that accountability is being ignored in favor of unchecked spending.