(The Center Square) – An Illinois congresswoman says that liberal state policies have turned the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program into a magnet for abuse and a drain on taxpayers.
Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, zeroed in on one of her sharpest criticisms: that some states allow undocumented immigrants to improperly access benefits.
“When states allow illegal aliens to join SNAP to essentially steal money from the American people, that is a major abuse of the program,” Miller said. “Thankfully, that will soon end.”
Miller noted she had worked with colleagues to include language in reconciliation that would remove illegal immigrants from SNAP eligibility, a move she called “only one small step in the right direction.”
Other alarms were raised by Miller over the scale of fraud in her home state.
“Since 2022, more than $21 million in benefits have been stolen from Illinois families,” she said, pointing to federal data that shows Illinois ranking among the nation’s worst states for error rates. “This is a failure due to poor state management.”
Miller urged the committee to refocus SNAP on its original purpose of promoting nutrition rather than allowing it to function as what she described as a subsidy for unhealthy foods.
“SNAP was also designed to be a nutrition program, not a junk food subsidy,” Miller said.
Miller argued Illinois’ lax rules, such as not requiring IDs or birth certificates, let ineligible applicants slip through. To illustrate a different approach, Miller questioned Wyoming Department of Family Services Director Korin Schmidt, who explained the state uses documentation and federal checks to verify eligibility.
“The method that we’ve chosen to enforce it is to ask for verification proof, a birth certificate for example, and then we verify that through the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE system,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt added that uniform federal guidance is critical.
“I think that consistency in terms of conversations across all states helps anyone who’s applying for SNAP to know what it is that is expected, what they need to verify,” Schmidt said. “And then as people move, as they do from state to state, they have a greater chance of being successful in making a sound and legitimate application.”
Miller praised Wyoming’s system, calling it “a success story we can look to,” and urged Congress to ensure taxpayer dollars are directed to eligible families.
“It’s a new day here,” she said, “and American taxpayer benefits are going to be going to Americans.”
Responding to a question about federal support, Schmidt said states like Wyoming have absorbed more of the program’s expenses after a drop in federal administrative funding.
“We’ve gone from, in the state, from 50% of the cost to 75% of the cost,” Schmidt said. “Of course, that’s going to mean an increase in the state general fund in our case to support the program.”
The Wyoming legislature will debate funding and program impact in its upcoming session.
The hearing sparked a broader debate over whether states should have flexibility in managing SNAP or if consistent federal standards are necessary. Miller cited Illinois as a cautionary example, while Schmidt stressed the need for guidance and resources from Washington.
