WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins reported this week that her department’s review of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has uncovered significant irregularities, including thousands of deceased individuals still listed as participants and multiple instances of recipients receiving benefits under the same name, according to officials and media reports.
Key claims made by the USDA
- Secretary Rollins told Fox News during a November 3, 2025 interview that SNAP investigators found approximately 5,000 deceased persons listed as active recipients of benefits.
- She also stated that roughly 700,000 people had been removed from SNAP eligibility since President Donald Trump took office, and that 118 arrests related to SNAP fraud had been made.
- Rollins claimed that among the cases flagged, some individuals were receiving benefits across multiple states, and that data from states that complied with the USDA’s order revealed “massive fraud.”
In February 2025, the USDA requested that all 50 states submit five years of SNAP enrollment data — including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and addresses — to identify ineligible recipients. Secretary Rollins said that 29 states complied and that her department is still reviewing the data.
While the USDA’s assertions have drawn attention, policy experts caution that some of the claims need further context. According to an article by NPR, many numbers cited by Rollins do not have accompanying publicly detailed breakdowns, such as the volume of cases involving deceased recipients and how duplication of benefits is defined or verified.
Nicole Schneidman, an attorney with the nonprofit Protect Democracy, said:
“One thing that’s really important … is that 42 million people across the country receive SNAP … and so these numbers that are being referenced are trivial in the grand scheme.” hawaiipublicradio.org
Tracy Roof, a political scientist at the University of Richmond, noted that removing 700,000 individuals does not necessarily imply criminal fraud—many could involve changes in eligibility rather than intentional misuse.
Implications and next steps
The USDA’s findings are likely to reignite debates over SNAP eligibility, verification systems and oversight. Legislative efforts—particularly within the United States Congress—may focus on tightening requirements or increasing audits of benefit programs. Some states have already challenged the USDA’s data-request mandate on privacy and legal grounds.
In the short term, Rollins said that her agency will continue to work with states and law enforcement to remove ineligible recipients and strengthen program integrity. However, the USDA has not yet released a detailed report or audit breakdown to publicly validate all of the numbers cited.
