Statement
Vital food assistance on which many Delawareans rely is at imminent risk of being lost, and we urge Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Governor Matt Meyer to take immediate action to prevent this looming threat to our neediest residents.
Approximately 119,000 Delaware residents receive aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). About 1 out of 9 of our citizens rely on this monthly allotment to purchase essential food—a vital benefit that could be lost as early as next week.
While state governments administer SNAP benefits, the federal government supplies the funding. To increase efficiency, reduce fraud, and maximize the reach of this $100 billion annual expenditure, officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which manages the program, asked states earlier this year to supply information on SNAP recipients.
The data being sought, such as home address, Social Security number, and immigration status, is not burdensome or unreasonable. Rather than cooperate, Delaware joined 20 other states in a lawsuit challenging the request.
The plaintiffs maintain that the USDA has motives beyond fiscal responsibility, but the facts tell a different story. Speaking at a cabinet meeting earlier this week, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins noted that data from the 29 states that have complied with the agency show that significant fraud and waste have been uncovered, including SNAP benefits being sent to 186,000 deceased Americans and another 500,000 recipients illegally getting multiple allocations.
In May 2025, the national average SNAP benefit was a little over $188 per person. This means that the waste identified thus far through the USDA’s data analysis would save more than $1.54 billion annually—money that could be used to boost allocations to eligible recipients or provide other needed assistance.
Our 21st Century reality is that state and federal governments—as well as countless businesses—already have access to vast amounts of personal information about every individual residing in the U.S. Federal officials already have access to the information they have asked our state to supply. The request would simply provide needed linkages to identify blatant abuses.
In a recent press release, the governor touted the accomplishments of Delaware’s Government Efficiency and Accountability Review Board in making our state operations more efficient and less costly. Just a few months ago, Delaware Republicans and Democrats worked together to create the new Office of the Inspector General to identify and eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse in government. Now that the USDA is undertaking similar efforts to curtail waste, our state should support its goal of maximizing existing resources to better help our most vulnerable populations.
Delaware has an obligation to cooperate with the USDA’s sensible request. The federal government fully funds SNAP, with our state’s residents collectively receiving more than $200 million annually. Like all federal-state programs, participating states must meet minimum requirements. In the case of SNAP, these standards now include providing basic information about recipients.
Earlier this fall, amid a temporary interruption in SNAP payments, Delaware Democrats and Republicans worked together to ensure that the 11% of Delawareans who depend on the program would continue to receive aid. Now, we are facing an even more dire situation. Secretary Rollins has stated that, as early as Monday (December 8th), states that refuse to provide the requested information will no longer receive SNAP benefits.
In Delaware, most SNAP recipients fall below the poverty line. More than 66% of participants are families with children, and more than 36% are families with older adults or disabled members. These citizens are those least able to deal with an interruption in benefits.
We respectfully recommend that Attorney General Jennings and Governor Meyer take immediate action to avoid this potential calamity. Delaware should prudently work with our federal partners, provide the requested data, and ensure that the food assistance on which so many of our people depend continues to flow to households in need.
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