by Mary Spiller
November 15, 2025
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says millions will have to re-verify eligibility.
The Trump administration is preparing a major shift in how low-income Americans access food assistance, signaling plans to require millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to reapply for their benefits. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins outlined the forthcoming efforts during an interview with Newsmax, framing the move as part of a broader attempt to curb what officials describe as widespread fraud within the program.
Rollins said the USDA intends to “have everyone reapply for their benefits, make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayerfunded benefit through … food stamps, that they literally are vulnerable and they can’t survive without it.” She did not offer specifics regarding when the reapplication process would begin or what additional steps households might be required to complete.
According to Politico, the announcement comes in the aftermath of a government shutdown that left the SNAP program temporarily without federal funding — a lapse that fueled criticism from conservative commentators and President Donald Trump, who questioned the scale of federal food-assistance spending. SNAP, which serves nearly 42 million people, cost roughly $100 billion in fiscal year 2024.
While the administration has spotlighted the risk of fraudulent claims, anti-hunger organizations argue that the problem is being overstated. They note that most recipients receive modest support — roughly $6 a day on average — and that cases of deception, such as falsified income information or retailers illegally exchanging benefits for cash, represent a small fraction of total program activity.
Many states already require participants to recertify their income and household status as frequently as every six months.
Families must also promptly report major changes in employment or earnings, meaning a federal reapplication mandate would add another layer to existing oversight.
The USDA has not clarified how Rollins’ proposed plan would diverge from current recertification policies. The secretary recently instructed states to submit detailed personal information on SNAP participants, including Social Security numbers — a directive now facing legal challenges.
Rollins also claimed that “186,000 deceased men and women and children” are “receiving a check” through SNAP, citing partial data provided by 29 states.
The initiative aligns with broader Republican efforts to demonstrate tighter fiscal control. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted in July, cut $186 billion from SNAP and introduced stricter work requirements, marking the program’s most significant restructuring to date.
Trump echoed those concerns this week, telling news outlets, “People keep talking about SNAP. But SNAP is supposed to be if you’re down and out. The number is many times what it should be.”
He added: “It really puts the country in jeopardy. People that need it have to get it. I’m all for it. But people who are able-bodied can do a job — they leave their job because they figure they can pick this up, it’s easier. That’s not the purpose of it.”
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