Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released “Food Stamp Fraud EXPOSED,” a video highlighting recent reports revealing hundreds of merchants defrauding the program. Food stamp fraud costs taxpayers hundreds of millions every year, according to a Scripps Howard News Service investigative report.
The Oversight Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow at 9:30 AM entitled, “Food Stamp Fraud as a Business Model: USDA’s Struggle to Police Store Owners.” The hearing will examine the pervasiveness of fraud on the part of retailers participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to as the food stamp program. Additionally, the Committee will examine steps taken by USDA to address the systemic weaknesses in fraud prevention efforts.
It will be webcast live here and more hearing information is available here.
Nice Deb 
This is a good story but the entire focus is on the Grocery Stores that take food stamps and participate in fraud by buying food stamps for pennies on the dollar. Let us not forget the “Transaction” involves two parties, the buyer and the seller. Although a crackdown on the retailer would be effective enforcement and a deterrent, the Seller in the transaction is still able to commit further fraud. If a food stamp recipient is selling their stamps for pennies on the dollar, it is an indication that they are using the money for things that can’t be purchased with food stamps. Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs would be the most likely items purchased with the money they received from the transaction. I argue that any person that sells their food stamps for pennies on the dollar should be immediately removed from the program and must be sanctioned by penalties and a probationary sentence before being able to reapply. It’s all about Accountability! Everyone should be accountable in transactions that involved the distribution of taxpayer funds. Even in a good economy, this type of illegal activity is inexcusable. In today’s depressed economy, it’s a matter of survival for people that truly need food stamp assistance.
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