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Task force pushes for mandatory state–federal data sharing for SNAP, Medicaid
Summary
Speakers urged Congress to require states to share enrollment and eligibility data for SNAP and Medicaid to enable automated fraud detection, arguing that lack of visibility into state administration blocks enforcement.
Speakers repeatedly framed data as the key obstacle to preventing fraud, arguing that detection tools are effective only when federal agencies can verify applicants against shared records. The Vice President said the federal government often has "no visibility into who is ultimately getting those benefits" when states administer programs such as SNAP.
Andrew Ferguson emphasized that automated, AI-driven tools used by agencies can find fraud "before the money leaves the agency," but only if states provide access to necessary data. Ferguson recommended that data sharing be a condition for state participation in federal programs, saying that requiring states to share data would "unleash the power of American AI ingenuity" for fraud prevention.
Both speakers said data sharing should be statutory rather than left to guidance or rulemaking, and they urged Congress to include data requirements in any legislation related to benefit programs.
