Today, a single mom makes her way through the grocery store, loads her cart onto the conveyor belt, exchanges small talk with the cashier, and swipes her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) card. It’s a normal event. Except, this time, the card doesn’t work. She tries again, and again. Only to learn the horrifying reality that her account is empty.
As the line behind her grows, so does her anxiety, frustration, and embarrassment. Then she recalls hearing that people’s SNAP benefits were getting stolen across the country. Relief washes over her because she remembers that the government is replacing stolen benefits.
She rushes to the library and visits the social services website to print a form for replacement benefits. A notice flashes: “The federal government will not replace SNAP benefits stolen on or after December 21, 2024. If your benefits were stolen before 11:59 p.m. on December 20, then you may fill out this form.”
It’s January 2025.
She sinks in her chair, devastated.
The battle to avert a government shutdown took new form last month. Typically, these debates remain in Congress, spill over into the media, and then get resolved. However, this time felt different. After weeks of advocacy and planning, there was a bipartisan deal. But then everything collapsed as it spilled over into X, formerly Twitter. What got lost in the barrage of posts was an item that would have benefited that single mom and hundreds of thousands like her.
For context, let’s go back to 2022.
SNAP Theft Crisis Timeline
In 2022, reports of SNAP benefit thefts were increasing around the country, leading advocates to pressure Congress to adopt replacement benefits for theft victims. In December 2022, Congress created replacement benefits but put a sunset on it for September 2024.
As September 2024 approached, advocates pushed Congress to extend replacement benefits because thefts not only continued, but worsened. Congress extended replacements by way of a continuing resolution (CR), but only for three months through December 20. In case you’re not familiar with a “continuing resolution”, the Government Accountability Office explains that CRs are “temporary spending bills that allow federal government operations to continue when final appropriations have not been approved by Congress and the President.” CRs are frustrating because they force repeated short-term fixes, taking time away from crafting lasting solutions.
As December 20 drew closer, advocates worked (again) to extend replacement benefits. Yet, a couple of Congressional leaders did not favor extending replacement benefits. Keep in mind that this was at a time when many people had voted because they could not afford to put food on the table. Leadership wanted to remove the lifeline from the very program that helps people with low incomes afford the food they need. Their reasons were: (1) States should fund the replacement benefits, and (2) states should bear some responsibility for the theft. These reasons missed the point because:
- SNAP benefits are funded by the federal government and state budgets do not have the capacity to take on this budget item. If states were to fund this, many states simply would not, leaving many victims with no food.
- There was no systemic solution to benefit theft that states had the option to adopt.
Problems With EBT Card Security
How were criminals able to steal from SNAP participants? You might think that a SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card has all the industry standard protections like chips, CVV numbers, and expiration dates.
Unfortunately, this is not the case.
SNAP EBT cards have none of these protections. These cards are still the ones that you swipe. Criminals have been installing skimming devices on card readers and stealing SNAP card information and PINs. Then, as soon as benefits are reloaded at the beginning of the month, they take it all. At least 313,000 households have been victimized, and the number is trending upward.
It was only a few months ago that the financial industry updated its standards to allow states to transition their SNAP cards to chip. Over the next few years, we will see states make that change, which should lead to around a 90 percent decrease in benefit theft. This is not a simple flip of a switch to activate the chip cards. It requires software updates, hardware changes, and tens of millions of new cards printed and distributed.
Next Steps for Replacement Benefits
So, after an initial two-year replacement benefit provision followed by a three-month extension, Congressional leadership included a four-year extension for replacement benefits in the end of the year CR. This was monumental!
But, nothing is complete until it is signed, sealed, and delivered.
Shortly after the CR draft was released, two billionaires tweeted that there was not enough time to read the bill and threatened Congressmembers with primaries, which resulted in a new CR that excluded the bipartisan replacement benefits entirely. This CR was rushed through, passed both House and Senate, and now SNAP participants are without help when their benefits are stolen.
It’s a head-spinning moment.
I’ve had enough continuing resolutions for a while, but I can assure you this: FRAC will continue to be resolute.
Here’s how advocates can ensure that single moms, individuals, and families of all types receiving SNAP benefits are no longer left without protections:
- Make replacement benefits permanent: Support legislative initiatives aimed at permanently authorizing the replacement of stolen SNAP benefits. Congressman Ruppersberger has been a leading advocate for such measures and has a bipartisan bill to do just this. Contact your Members of Congress and encourage them to cosponsor or support this bill (H.R. 6005/S. 3089).
- Implement chip card security: The Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act would improve EBT security by providing a timeline for states to transition to chip cards and reimbursing states for some of the transition costs (H.R. 7585/S. 3893).
- Raise public awareness: Utilize social media, community meetings, and local media to raise awareness about the issue, emphasizing the need for legislative action to protect vulnerable populations from losing essential food assistance due to theft. There are constant efforts to weaken the safety net, but with advocates like you involved, we cannot only be successful, but we can even strengthen the safety net.
