Congressman Dan Goldman Secures Extension of Reimbursement for Victims of SNAP Fraud

Following Bipartisan Letter to Congressional Leadership, State Authority to Refund SNAP Fraud Victims Will Be Extended Until December 20 as Part of Continuing Resolution

Over 80,000 SNAP Fraud Cases Were Filed In New York City Last Year

Read the August Letter Here

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today announced the likely extension of critical protections to victims of food stamp theft – which were set to expire at the end of September – following House passage of the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025. Once this bill passes the Senate, it will go to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. In August, Goldman joined Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02) in sending a bipartisan letter to Congressional leadership urging them to include a provision in a forthcoming stop-gap funding bill that would allow victims to continue to be reimbursed from federal funds.

The provision that required states to replace stolen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits with federal funds under a measure included in the 2023 omnibus funding bill passed by Congress at the end of 2022 was set to expire on September 30, 2024. The measure, which will now be in effect through December 2024 was adopted in response to a massive uptick of theft in which perpetrators use skimming devices to steal SNAP benefits distributed on electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards.

“I am proud to have helped secure an extension that will allow states to use existing federal funding to reimburse vulnerable victims of SNAP theft so that families in need can put food on the table," Congressman Dan Goldman said. "SNAP theft can be devastating for working families and these reimbursements are a critical lifeline that allows working families to make ends meet. I will continue fighting alongside my colleagues to ensure that states retain this authority when Congress passes its final budget at the end of the year."

The reimbursement program has already had an enormous effect on American households: more than 125,000 households have been reimbursed since October 2022, not counting some of the hardest-hit states who have to date not reported the full impact.

Other signatories of the August letter include Representatives Mike Lawler (NY-17), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Anthony D’Esposito (NY-04), Marc Molinaro (NY-19), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) and Grace Meng (NY-06).

Read the full August letter here or below:

Dear Speaker Johnson, Minority Leader Jeffries, Majority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader McConnell:

Ahead of the September 30th deadline to sustain federal funding, we urge you to take action in the forthcoming Continuing Resolution to extend the provision included in the bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (CAA), which ensures the replacement of stolen Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card benefits with federal funds. This extension will continue to protect the over 41 million law-abiding individuals who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from being victimized by SNAP benefit theft. We must do more to ensure those who are struggling to put food on the table for themselves and their families are not denied access to these critical funds that are being stolen at record levels through no fault of their own.

While Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and state agencies continue to work to prevent future theft as mandated by the CAA by issuing regulations to permanently strengthen EBT card security, theft of SNAP benefits has grown to become a pervasive crime throughout the country. To date, all 50 states and territories that participate in SNAP have developed implementation plans and have reported instances of SNAP benefit theft related to skimming. The reimbursement authority granted by the bipartisan CAA has resulted in over 125,000 SNAP households having their benefits replaced and being made whole since October 2022 alone, excluding some of the hardest-hit states who have not reported the full impact to FNS. Unfortunately, this critical provision is set to expire on September 30th, and the law-abiding households—who have done absolutely nothing wrong but try to feed their families—will once again be left without their SNAP funds and unable to provide for their families.

The issue is clear: federal SNAP beneficiaries around the country continue to be targeted and benefits are being stolen at record levels. This vital extension will continue to protect victims of SNAP benefit theft—including veterans, families, low-income workers, children, the elderly and the disabled—while Congress continues to work with state agencies, FNS and EBT vendors to improve card security and modernize the SNAP’s EBT system. We strongly urge Congress to take immediate action in the upcoming short-term Continuing Resolution to make whole the victims of SNAP benefit theft by extending the 2023 omnibus provision that provides for the replacement of stolen EBT benefits.

We thank you for your consideration of this request.

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