REP. ALTENDORF: FEDERAL DATA SHOWS MASSIVE JUMP IN SNAP ISSUANCE IN MINNESOTA
ST. PAUL – With no end in sight to the federal government shutdown, those who utilize the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are now seeing their benefits disappear.
A recent alarming analysis of federal SNAP data has found that Minnesota usage skyrocketed over the past few years. Fiscal Year 2023 SNAP data, which is the most recent federal information available, shows that more than $1.5 billion was spent on SNAP benefits in Minnesota, tripling the amount that was spent just four years earlier.
“No one wants people who truly need assistance to go hungry,” Altendorf said. “But we also cannot turn a blind eye to potentially massive fraud happening through the SNAP program. Most notable, the data shows Minnesota with a 174% jump in SNAP issuance over a one-year period in fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Granted, this happened during the year of Covid, however no other state has seen anything close to an increase like this.”
When the Trump administration began its tenure, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) told every state to share its SNAP data with the federal government. The goal was to ensure that struggling American families were receiving these benefits and not illegal aliens. While 29 states shared their data, 21 did not, including Minnesota.
According to the USDA, massive fraud has already been uncovered in the states that cooperated with the request. Meanwhile in Minnesota, Altendorf said we have become accustomed to new government fraud schemes being uncovered almost weekly, with billions of dollars already stolen from the taxpayers under Governor Walz’s watch.
The 174% jump in SNAP issuance in Minnesota from FY 2020-21 more than doubled the state that saw the second highest increase during that time span (Wisconsin) at 77%. Altendorf said most people will recognize this is not normal growth and therefore must be treated as a huge red flag.
“When you increase a program expense by more than $1 billion in four years, especially in this state, it just reeks of another potential undiscovered fraud,” Altendorf said. “It’s time to investigate why SNAP issuances rose so dramatically and where the funds are going. Only eligible Minnesotans should be given this aid. If we don’t take this seriously, the people who will suffer are the ones who need this assistance.”
To learn more, read the USDA SNAP State Activity Reports at https://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/snap-state-activity-reports: FY-2021, page 42, Table 29, and FY-2023, page 41, Table 29