The Trump administration plans a major overhaul of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, requiring millions of recipients to reapply for benefits. Officials aim to eliminate fraud and ensure aid goes only to those in acute need. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the initiative to restore confidence in taxpayer-funded programs.
The Trump administration is set to implement sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as food stamps, as part of efforts to boost program integrity and curb abuse. At the core is a requirement for millions of low-income Americans to reapply for benefits, irrespective of their current enrollment status or recent eligibility reviews.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins detailed the plan in a Newsmax interview, stating she intends to “have everyone reapply for their benefits, make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayer-funded benefit through … food stamps, that they literally are vulnerable and they can’t survive without it.” This mass reapplication aims to remove ineligible participants, improve data accuracy, and cut government spending.
On her first day in office, Rollins sent a letter to all 50 states requesting personal data of SNAP recipients, including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and addresses—information the federal government had not previously sought. She explained on X that the move was “so we could make sure illegal immigrants aren’t getting benefits meant for American families,” while criticizing Democrats for prioritizing undocumented immigrants, claiming it could cost them over 20 congressional seats after the next census.
Twenty-nine states, mostly Republican-led, provided data in February, March, and April. The administration has been analyzing this since late spring or early summer. Rollins highlighted alarming findings: initial reports of 5,000 deceased individuals receiving benefits in one month ballooned to an estimated 186,000 deceased recipients nationwide.
By centering reforms on reapplication, the administration seeks to reserve SNAP strictly for those demonstrating clear vulnerability, marking a shift toward rigorous eligibility enforcement.