(The Center Square) – The Northwoods’ congressman is asking Wisconsin’s governor to make the state’s food stamp rolls public.
Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany, who is also running for governor, asked Gov. Tony Evers to release the FoodShare data that President Donald Trump wants.
“Like many Wisconsin residents, I was disappointed by your recent public statements ruling out cooperation with the federal government to detect fraud in the food stamp program. We should all be able to agree that fraud and abuse in vital safety net programs is unacceptable, which is why I hope you will reconsider your position,” Tiffany wrote in a letter to the governor.
The Trump Administration has asked for a wide swath of information about food stamp programs in the states, including social security numbers and immigration status for the 700,000 people on food stamps in Wisconsin.
“As you know, several states have already moved to work with the federal government to improve the program by sharing data with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to detect abuses and improper payments. These audits have helped to expose fraud and corruption that included cases of dead beneficiaries, duplicate payments, and illegal aliens on program rolls – with some individuals fraudulently collecting benefits for years. Your position on this matter is even more shocking given recent developments in our neighboring state of Minnesota. There, the governor’s mismanagement and lack of transparency in food security programs have led to multiple investigations of a taxpayer-funded fraud scheme totaling a staggering $1 billion that allegedly involved Somalian terrorists,” Tiffany added.
The USDA has said it will withhold millions of dollars from Wisconsin and other states that have been earmarked for food stamp administration.
Evers has said the president wants to find a way to cut food stamps.
“Failure to police abuse in this program jeopardizes its solvency and integrity, harming those the most who can afford it least. By withholding this information, you are effectively prioritizing the ability of scammers and illegal aliens to bilk this program over the well-being of the most vulnerable Wisconsinites that it exists to serve. This makes no sense,” Tiffany wrote. “I strongly urge you to cooperate with the USDA audit.”
