Rep. Tim Burchett, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE), demanded explanations Wednesday from five Democratic governors who have refused to share state data related to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that could reveal large-scale fraud.
Govs. Kathy Hochul of New York, Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania each received letters from the House DOGE subcommittee chairman requesting documents and communications related to their withholding of data “necessary for ensuring the integrity of the federally funded SNAP program.”
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) notified all 50 states last month that they are required to share data related to their SNAP disbursements over fraud concerns.
The $100 billion federal program allows states to provide monthly funds to low-income individuals and families to purchase eligible groceries.
New York, California, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania are the states with the largest SNAP populations that have failed to provide the requested data to USDA.
The department has already identified “at least $3 billion in potential waste, fraud and abuse” in the 29 states that have complied with data demand, according to Burchett (R-Tenn.).
“USDA would likely be able to identify billions more in potential fraud if non-complying states, including New York, which is among the states with the largest number of SNAP beneficiaries, were to step up and constructively participate in this effort,” Burchett wrote in his letter to Hochul, obtained by The Post.
“Your state’s noncompliance carries a great cost to the American public,” he added.
A spokesperson for Hochul told The Post that “any allegation that New York is unlawfully withholding data is patently false.”
“New York takes its oversight of SNAP seriously and remains committed to providing eligible New Yorkers with the assistance they need to put food on the table,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“While Washington Republicans are hellbent on cutting food assistance to vulnerable Americans, Governor Hochul has been laser-focused on safeguarding the health and well-being of all New Yorkers.”
Hochul’s office said it is reviewing the USDA’s data request while noting that a federal court blocked the Trump administration last year from forcing 22 states, including New York, to provide SNAP recipient data.
The four other governors’ offices did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
The series of letters were sent ahead of the House DOGE subcommittee’s Thursday morning hearing on the SNAP program.
“Roughly $10 billion in taxpayer funds were lost through SNAP in 2024, while some states refuse to hand over the data needed to crack down on fraud,” Burchett said in a statement.
“Americans are sick of their money being wasted or stolen by fraudsters,” the congressman added. “SNAP is one of the federal government’s largest welfare programs, costing taxpayers more than $100 billion each year.
“This hearing will examine the causes of these problems and explore real reforms to strengthen accountability and oversight within SNAP. Congress must protect taxpayer dollars and make sure assistance goes only to those who truly need it.”
