A Biden-appointed judge has blocked an effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to impose certain conditions for states to qualify for SNAP funding, a program federal officials said is rife with fraud.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun sided with multiple Democrat states in his decision, the Associated Press (AP) reported Friday, noting the Trump administration wanted states to comply with conditions in order to receive billions of federal dollars for SNAP.
The judge “granted a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit challenging the conditions for getting SNAP funding. Among them are restrictions related to ‘gender ideology,’ ‘immigration,’ and ‘fair athletic opportunities’ for women and girls,” the AP article reads.
Now the U.S. Department of Agriculture is barred from withholding billions of federal dollars from states that refuse to comply with certain policies after Democrat attorneys general from 20 states and Washington, DC, sought the injunction, per the Roanoke Times:
USDA at the end of last year said states must certify compliance with federal “policies” to receive funding. The attorneys general alleged that USDA’s requirement was too vague and would require them to comply with unrelated matters outlined in Trump executive orders concerning “gender ideology,” immigration, transgender athletes and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Government lawyers argued the requirements would boost the “sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars, strengthen USDA’s control and oversight of obligated funds, and ensure that grant recipients comply with federal laws, regulations, and policies.”
In November, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the agency found thousands of cases of food stamp fraud, and that Democrat-run states refused to provide data as her agency probed illegal migrants on SNAP, per Breitbart News.
Rollins later said it was “unbelievable” that 186,000 dead people were on SNAP, and the USDA then launched a review of its programs to make sure only legal citizens were getting benefits. In May, she said her agency found 14,000 people in one state were getting food stamps and driving luxury vehicles.
On Thursday, Rollins wrote in a social media post the “@USDA has NEVER had access to State SNAP data. Not until this Administration demanded it.”
“That’s why every figure from years past is meaningless. From the 29 states that DID share data, we’ve already identified at least $3 billion a year in fraud,” she added. “Extrapolated nationwide: more than $10 billion. This isn’t ‘erroneous payments.’ This is FRAUD — and yes, @RepAngieCraig, I know the difference. Do you?”