Joni Ernst Introduces Bill Cutting $1 Billion in Federal Expenses by Targeting States with ‘Ineligible’ SNAP Benefits

Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst introduced a bill to reduce spending by nearly $1 billion a month by lowering taxpayer expenses for payment errors under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as Food Stamps.

With her newly introduced Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act, Sen. Ernst is working to safeguard the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for hungry families in need by preventing billions of dollars in “bogus” benefits due to “bureaucratic bungling.”

In a Tuesday press release, Ernst highlighted how almost $1 billion in “ineligible” benefits are distributed monthly, with seven states deliberately adjusting their SNAP payment errors to secure $60 million — all while tens of thousands of families await SNAP approval.

“Families across the country are going hungry while bureaucrats are jumping the line to gobble up SNAP dollars, either as a meal ticket to beef up state budgets or a self-serve buffet of benefits for themselves or others who do not qualify,” Ernst stated. 

“I’m snapping back! It’s time for states at fault to pay the piper and eat the costs of their taxpayer waste,” she added. “Instead of overserving bureaucrats, let’s end the waste and set a place at the table for hungry families”: 

Unfortunately, some program administrators are jumping the line to “snap up” these #SNAP dollars while thousands of families are waiting to be approved for aid. https://t.co/dmizsy2tv1

— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) September 26, 2023

The press statement noted that the majority of discrepancies in SNAP payments occur as “overpayments,” where benefits are given to individuals who do not qualify or are awarded more than should be. 

In 2022, such overcompensations amounted roughly to a whopping $11.2 billion. 

Nevertheless, the actual magnitude of these discrepancies remains uncertain because errors amounting to $54 or less are not accounted for.

By counting all errors and urging states to halt ineligible benefits, the Iowa senator’s SNAP Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act could cut spending by nearly $1 billion monthly; otherwise, states may bear some expenses.

The legislation seeks to instruct states to retrieve SNAP excess payments, ensuring households get only what they qualify for; require states to settle their debts and hold them responsible for discrepancies in payment rates to incentivize efficient fund management; and enhance the precision of SNAP payment error rates by mandating the reporting of all discrepancies.

While food stamps are crucial in preventing hunger, many families are awaiting approval as some program overseers exploit these funds for state budgets or personal gain.

“Folks, you don’t get to make errors like this when you are calculating your taxes, so they shouldn’t be tolerated by those spending your taxes!” Ernst insisted, adding that “instead of giving billions in benefits to those who don’t qualify or doubling payments for others already being served, let’s set a place at the table for the families who do qualify but are going without while they wait in line.”

This month, Sen. Ernst announced she was rolling out a reform package in an effort to hold the “entrenched federal bureaucracy” accountable, “drain the swamp,” and “cut red tape.”

In March, she unveiled what, at the time, was the latest examples of egregious government spending and waste, which included taxpayer dollars used to train pigs to play video games, provide dolphins with an underwater touchpad with “dolphin friendly apps,” and establish a comedy center in New York.

She has continued to champion the Cost Openness and Spending Transparency (COST) Act, which would require every project supported with federal funds to include a price tag that is “easily available for taxpayers.”