Sec. Rollins defends the proposed SNAP cuts

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins is defending proposed cost-sharing measures. During her more than four hours of testimony before the House Ag Committee yesterday, she said the SNAP program costs hundreds of millions of dollars each day. However, one California lawmaker took issue with the Department’s assessment of those state error rates.

“We spend at the USDA across 16 nutrition programs about $400 million a day on those nutrition programs. That’s just alone by any given number, up to 30% of that is fraud, waste, and abuse. At this time of unemployment, we were 17 million; we’re now at 42 million of people on the SNAP program. So, there is a lot of room to do better, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Error rates among states have been an issue, though. During the Biden Administration, officials said that during 2023, the overpayment rate came in at just over 10 percent for the year. Error rates varied by state, with Alaska coming in the highest at 60 percent. Some states, like South Dakota, had overpayments as low as three percent.

Related Stories
Rollins will also tour a small soybean operation in Iowa before her appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Congress has just over a month of working days left for the year. Plan for uneven USDA service until funding is restored, and closely monitor Farm Bill talks, as avoiding Permanent Law before January 1 is the single biggest risk to markets and milk prices.
Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn joined us Monday to share highlights from Secretary Brooke Rollins’ visit and her perspective on USDA’s new initiatives.
North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) President Mark Watne joined us Monday to share his perspective on the America First Trade Promotion Program and potential implications for producers.
Secretary Rollins’ plan targets high costs, labor challenges, and export growth, delivering relief at home while building markets abroad.
Speaking about his administration’s tariff strategy, Trump acknowledged that producers could face financial strain in the short term but promised stopgap support.
U.S. soybean farmers are growing increasingly frustrated by Argentina’s gains in Chinese grain contracts and Trump’s pledge of economic support for the South American ally.
The USDA is moving to close the farm trade gap through promotion, missions, and stronger export financing.