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Senate committee hears resolution urging Congress to restore SNAP theft replacements, boost anti‑fraud measures
Summary
The Senate Workforce Development Committee heard sponsor testimony on Senate Resolution 29 asking Congress to restore funding that replaced stolen SNAP benefits and to support anti‑fraud measures, including security chip EBT cards; the item was taken as a first hearing.
Chairman Kaler and members of the Senate Workforce Development Committee heard sponsor testimony on Senate Resolution 29 on the prevalence of theft from SNAP EBT cards and a call for federal action to restore replacement funding and strengthen anti‑fraud protections.
Senator Schaffer, sponsor of the resolution, told the committee that "this resolution asks the US Congress to resume restoring stolen supplemental nutrition assistance program or SNAP benefits to victims and to implement anti fraud measures in the SNAP program." He said card‑skimming and related scams have increased and cited state and national replacement figures.
The senator told the committee that, "According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, from October 22 through December 24, over $15,000,000 in benefits have been stolen from over 30,000 individuals on SNAP." He also cited a national figure from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that states replaced more than 315,000 households — over $150,000,000 — in stolen benefits between January 2023 and September 2024.
Schaffer said the federal SNAP fraud replacement program allowed states to reimburse victims but that "support for this program ended just last December after Congress declined to fund the program" and that the lapse "leaves families in the crisis vulnerable to having their benefits stolen and not replaced." He asked Congress to restore funding and to support anti‑fraud measures such as issuing SNAP EBT cards with security chips.
Schaffer praised state efforts to reduce fraud, saying, "I applaud ODJFS Director Matt Damschroeder and his staff for being proactive in implementing SNAP fraud prevention efforts here in Ohio, including increased public awareness, frequently sharing fraud information, tips with SNAP EBT benefit recipients, as well as implementing new tools and programs." He added that he looked forward to continuing to work with Director Damschroeder on additional state steps.
Ranking Member Ingram asked for Ohio‑specific figures; Schaffer repeated the Ohio figures he cited and said he did not have an up‑to‑date total for the period after federal replacement funding ended. No committee members offered further substantive questions. The item was recorded as a first hearing with no formal action taken.
This resolution now awaits further committee consideration.
