By Douglas V. Gibbs
First thing’s first. SNAP is unconstitutional. The federal government has no authority to be involved in providing a safety net for Americans. The Constitution simply does not provide that authorization. And before you use the “general welfare” clause argument, read James Madison’s veto of the Bonus Bill before you try to use that unconstitutional claim.
Secondly, for those now screaming that I am calling for people to go hungry and lose their livelihoods and all of that, don’t be so dramatic. I am not saying that there can’t be a safety net. I am simply saying that the federal government may not constitutionally provide it. The Tenth Amendment is clear that if a power is not granted to the federal government, but not prohibited to the States, then the States may entertain that authority. So, in short, things like food stamps (a.k.a. SNAP), help with housing, and even government healthcare assistance may be provided at the State level. States may deny providing it completely, or provide it liberally, or achieve any condition in between. If the we feel that the federal government should be the ones administering such programs? Then fine, amend the Constitution to add that authority to the federal government’s list of enumerated powers.
The problem with welfare-style benefits is that if allowed, people will make it their lifestyle rather than a temporary condition until they can get on their feet through participation in America’s wonderful free market economy. The other thing is that if the system is not carefully monitored, and if it doesn’t come with a mess-load of conditions, abuse will run rampant. SNAP has proven that latter one to be true.
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, dead people have been receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Also, many people have been receiving the benefits twice. Records from twenty-nine states reveal that a “staggering” 5,000 dead people have been receiving the benefits, and 500,000 people were “getting benefits two times under the same name.” Additionally, 80% of those on SNAP in those states were able-bodied Americans, meaning that they have the ability to participate in the workforce. “They don’t have small children at home, they’re not taking care of an elderly parent. They can work, and they choose not to work, of course, because they’re getting significant benefits from the taxpayer.”
Under the Trump administration the federal government is working on “cracking down” on benefit fraud. “We now have a plan to fix it and we’re really, really excited about doing that for the American people.”
It is important to note that while 29 states complied and shared their SNAP data with the administration, 21 states refused to do so. Two of those states that refused to share data sued the Trump administration over the matter.
One has to ask, “What are those 21 other states hiding?” By the way, of the 29 States that did respond, nearly all of them were led by Republican governments.
The effort by the Trump administration to get the fraud under control will include requiring the USDA requiring beneficiaries to reapply. The SNAP benefit provides assistance to about 42 million people, with many of those folks being illegal aliens, or fraudulently receiving benefits. The cost of the program is about $100 billion, or at least that is what it was in 2024.
Rollins added, “Can you imagine when we get our hands on the blue-state data what we’re gonna find?”
If this administration wants to operate constitutionally on this matter, they would simply refuse to continue the program and hand it over to the States. I am willing to bet the blue-states, once their taxpayers start footing the bill for massive fraud, may think twice about how they administer the programs and who has access to those benefits.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
