“If you are wealthy enough to afford a Lamborghini, then you are wealthy enough to not receive SNAP benefits from the American people.”
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Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that a federal anti-fraud task force uncovered what he described as widespread abuse in government benefits programs, including thousands of deceased individuals allegedly still receiving food assistance.
Speaking at a rally in Des Moines, JD Vance told supporters that the task force he was tapped to lead by President Donald Trump had already identified major irregularities tied to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“People have asked me, ‘Is that a hard job?’” Vance told the audience. “And I say, ‘Well, let me think. Finding fraud in the federal government, it’s kind of like fishing in a barrel with dynamite.’”
Vance made the remarks while appearing at an event for Rep. Zach Nunn in Iowa. He said the task force has uncovered issues ranging from duplicate benefits to payments allegedly continuing after recipients had died.
“Brooke [Rollins] has found out that we’ve got 355,000 people on SNAP benefits receiving double benefits, that we’ve got 186,000 dead people getting SNAP benefits,” Vance said, referring to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. “186,000 dead Americans getting food stamps right now.”
He added that critics would likely frame the findings as an effort to cut benefits broadly. “That’s what they’re going to say. I actually think that we should take food stamps away from dead people. I’m guilty of that,” Vance said.
“There are people who have Lamborghinis who currently receive SNAP benefits… You know, I’m a pretty conservative guy, but I would think that like 95% of the USA would agree that if you are wealthy enough to afford a Lamborghini, then you are wealthy enough to not receive SNAP benefits from the American people.”
Trump has named Vance as the administration’s “fraud czar,” tasking him with overseeing investigations into alleged fraud, waste, and abuse in federal benefits systems. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously said the anti-fraud task force would “investigate fraud across the country.”
According to a White House fact sheet, the initiative is focused on federal assistance programs, including housing, food aid, medical care, and direct cash assistance administered with state and local partners. The administration also flagged states, including California, Illinois, New York, Maine, and Colorado, as having what it called insufficient fraud oversight.
