USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins’ March 2025 Review Reveals Widespread Abuse Across 29 States, While Others Refuse Cooperation, Raising Questions About Political Motives & The True Scale Of Fraud

Saturday, November 15, 2025, 9:00 A.M. ET. 5 Minute Read, By Jennifer Hodges, Political Editor: Englebrook Independent News,

WASHINGTON, DC.- What began as an attempt by congressional Democrats to force President Trump into concessions during the federal government funding standoff has now sharply reversed course. The failed Democratic shutdown, quickly branded the “Schumer Shutdown” after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, has unintentionally exposed what may become one of the largest public-benefits fraud scandals in decades.

     At the center of the deepening controversy is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a program Democrats champion as a core anti-poverty tool. But new findings, released this week by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, reveal that the program’s vulnerabilities are far more serious than previously acknowledged and that some states may have deliberately stalled oversight to avoid embarrassing disclosures.

     The revelations come from a March 2025 data-verification request Rollins issued to all 50 states and U.S. territories. Only 29 states complied, providing detailed information on eligibility, benefit distribution, and identity verification procedures. The remaining states, a majority of which are governed by Democratic administrations, declined, delayed, or failed to provide complete datasets to the USDA.

Widespread Fraud Revealed In Participating States;

     According to USDA internal analyses, the 29 states that submitted data show a disturbing pattern of systemic fraud, including:

• Duplicate SNAP accounts registered under multiple identities.
• Benefits are issued to individuals no longer residing in the state.
• Payments continuing for deceased recipients.
• Large clusters of “unverifiable eligibility” applications concentrated in urban areas.
• Unusual spikes in post-pandemic emergency benefit claims inconsistent with population or income trends.

     A senior USDA official, speaking on background, estimates that fraud and improper payments in the reporting states alone could exceed $7.8 billion annually, an amount far higher than previous public estimates.

     “If that level of abuse exists in states that cooperated,” the official noted, “then the states refusing to comply should expect even greater scrutiny.”

What Are Non-Compliant States Hiding?

     The 21 states that did not submit the requested information are now under federal review. These states, including major Democratic strongholds, account for approximately 56% of all SNAP spending nationwide.

     Rollins’ office estimates that, based on extrapolated fraud rates from cooperating states, non-compliant states could be harboring an additional $10–15 billion in fraudulent or improper payments each year.

     Republican lawmakers allege the refusal to comply may have been intentional.

     “Democratic governors spent two years insisting the program was sound,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said Friday. “Now that the USDA wants actual paperwork, they’re suddenly unwilling to show their books.”

     Democrats counter that the deadlines were unreasonable and that the USDA was “weaponizing oversight.” Yet no state has explained why basic verification, a routine federal requirement, could not be provided within seven months.

Illegal Immigrant Eligibility Under Renewed Scrutiny;

     Perhaps the most politically explosive finding concerns the uncertain number of illegal immigrants receiving SNAP benefits, either through identity fraud, stolen Social Security numbers, or households improperly listing ineligible adults as dependents.

     USDA analysts reviewing March–October 2025 data estimate that between 480,000 and 1.05 million illegal immigrants may be receiving SNAP benefits nationwide, either directly or indirectly. While federal law restricts eligibility to U.S. citizens and certain legal residents, the lack of identity verification in several states appears to have created loopholes easily exploited by non-citizens.

     Rollins stated Friday that the findings “represent a fundamental breakdown in the program’s integrity.”

     “No federal program can survive when fraud becomes normalized,” she warned. “Taxpayers pay the price. Families who truly need assistance pay the price. And those who break the law benefit from the dysfunction.”

A Shutdown That Backfired On Democrats;

     The Schumer Shutdown, meant to pressure Republicans into dropping oversight provisions, instead drew national attention to the very problems Democrats hoped to avoid spotlighting.

     During the shutdown’s duration, the temporary suspension of federal verification systems forced several states to rely on outdated or manual processes. That disruption enabled investigators to identify inconsistencies that had gone undetected for years, ultimately leading to the revelation of the fraud now under review.

     By attempting to block oversight and blaming President Trump for starving children and vulnerable individuals, Democrats inadvertently triggered a deeper audit of the program.

The Road Ahead: Reform or Entrenchment?

     With the government now reopened and full funding expected to be signed by President Trump this weekend, the White House is signaling that SNAP reform will be a top priority of the post-shutdown legislative agenda. Republican lawmakers are drafting proposals to:

• Mandate nationwide identity-matching systems.
• Require states to verify immigration status using real-time federal databases.
• Penalize states that refuse federal transparency requests.
• Create criminal penalties for state officials who knowingly approve fraudulent benefits.

     Democrats, meanwhile, warn that Republicans will use fraud findings to “undermine antipoverty programs.” But public frustration over government waste, amplified by the shutdown, may leave them on the defensive.

     As Secretary Rollins emphasized, “SNAP is supposed to help American families struggling to buy groceries. Fraud takes food off their tables. That’s not compassion. That’s corruption.”

     With billions in taxpayer funds unaccounted for and nearly half the nation’s states now under heightened federal scrutiny, the Schumer Shutdown may ultimately be remembered not for political brinkmanship but for revealing a crisis of integrity within a cornerstone welfare program. 

Editor’s Note:

This article is based on publicly available USDA oversight reports, federal budget documents, congressional statements, and interviews with USDA officials and lawmakers conducted by Englebrook Independent News. All findings, estimates, and projected fraud figures are drawn from official sources or attributable government analyses provided to EIN. All information outlined in this article has been verified by Jennifer Hodges, Political Editor for Englebrook Independent News.