{"id":2110,"date":"2025-02-01T05:42:24","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T05:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/?p=2110"},"modified":"2025-02-01T05:42:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T05:42:25","slug":"congress-new-bill-to-eliminate-snap-overpayments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/congress-new-bill-to-eliminate-snap-overpayments\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress New Bill Seeks to Eliminate Costly SNAP Payment Errors, Hold States Accountable, and Reduce Billions in Overpayments Amid Growing National Debt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) aims to strengthen the accuracy and accountability of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by eliminating costly payment errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#cracking-down-on-snap-overpayments\">Cracking Down on SNAP Overpayments<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-growing-problem-of-snap-payment-errors\">The Growing Problem of SNAP Payment Errors<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#balancing-accountability-and-assistance\">Balancing Accountability and Assistance<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cracking-down-on-snap-overpayments\"><strong>Cracking Down on SNAP Overpayments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act<\/strong> proposes a major change to how payment errors in the program are calculated. Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) only considers overpayments or underpayments as errors if they exceed <strong>$54<\/strong>. The new bill would <strong>eliminate this tolerance level entirely<\/strong>, holding states accountable for even the smallest payment discrepancies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, the legislation would <strong>increase state liability for high error rates<\/strong>, ensuring greater responsibility in managing SNAP funds efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith over $36 trillion in national debt and counting, we have no time to waste in cutting government waste and ensuring taxpayer dollars are used responsibly,\u201d said Rep. Feenstra. \u201cEvery month, about <strong>$1 billion<\/strong> is lost to SNAP overpayments\u2014an unacceptable figure that must change. This bill enforces a zero-tolerance policy to strengthen the integrity of the program and ensure every dollar is used properly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-growing-problem-of-snap-payment-errors\"><strong>The Growing Problem of SNAP Payment Errors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the USDA\u2019s Food and Nutrition Service, <strong>nearly 1 in 10 SNAP payments (9.84%) in 2022 resulted in overpayments<\/strong>, while underpayments accounted for <strong>1.7%<\/strong> of cases. The problem has worsened over time, with overpayment rates increasing by <strong>3.66% between 2019 and 2022<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Ernst emphasized the importance of the bill in addressing these inefficiencies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBureaucratic blunders are costing taxpayers billions, all while the nation struggles with a growing $36 trillion debt. SNAP is a vital program that helps feed families, but we must strengthen its integrity by <strong>holding states accountable for rising error rates, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy, and ensuring overpayments are corrected swiftly.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/snap-benefits-trumps-federal-freeze\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2088\">SNAP Benefits &amp; Trump\u2019s Federal Freeze: What You Need to Know<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/is-snap-actually-helpful-for-americans-lets-clarify-the-facts\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1690\">Is SNAP actually helpful for Americans? Let&#8217;s Clarify the Facts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/how-much-does-welfare-pay-us\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1682\">How Much does Welfare Pay in the US? A State-by-State Comparison of Benefits<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/snap-benefit-increase-in-2025\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1686\">SNAP Benefit Increase in 2025: Amount, Eligibility &amp; Rates<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/292-per-family-member-snap-payment\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"942\">$292 Per Family Member SNAP Payment: Your Ultimate Guide to SNAP Food Stamps<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"balancing-accountability-and-assistance\"><strong>Balancing Accountability and Assistance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the bill focuses on cutting waste and increasing oversight, it also underscores the importance of SNAP in supporting low-income families. The proposed changes aim to protect the program\u2019s resources and ensure that benefits reach those who truly need them\u2014without unnecessary financial losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If passed, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/congress-new-bill-to-eliminate-snap-overpayments\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/congress-new-bill-to-eliminate-snap-overpayments\/\">Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act<\/a><\/strong> could significantly reshape how SNAP payments are monitored, reducing improper disbursements and enforcing stricter fiscal discipline at the state level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With growing bipartisan concerns about government spending, the bill is expected to spark <strong>intense debate<\/strong> over balancing financial accountability with maintaining essential support for food-insecure families.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) aims to strengthen the accuracy and accountability of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by eliminating costly payment errors. Cracking Down on SNAP Overpayments The Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act proposes a major change to how payment errors in&nbsp;<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/congress-new-bill-to-eliminate-snap-overpayments\/\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2110"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2121,"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2110\/revisions\/2121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soscip.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}