Agriculture Secretary Condemns SNAP as “Corrupt” Amid Shutdown Debate

By Jim Mishler | Friday, 31 October 2025 05:29 PM EDT

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins accused the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of being “bloated,” “corrupt,” and “dysfunctional” during a Capitol media briefing on Friday, as two federal judges mandated funding for the program amid a government shutdown. Rollins, speaking alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., focused on the Trump administration’s efforts to address what she described as systemic waste and abuse within SNAP.

Rollins stated that the shutdown has intensified scrutiny of the program, claiming it “has just become so bloated, so broken” under previous leadership. She emphasized the administration’s push to exclude illegal immigrants from receiving benefits, citing an order instructing all 50 states to halt such participation. “No more illegal aliens on SNAP, period, full stop,” she said, adding that her department is enforcing this policy daily.

She highlighted instances of fraud, including arrests linked to $50 million in fraudulent activity and a case where an individual was registered for SNAP in six different states. Rollins called for accountability, noting that Republican-led states and two Democratic ones complied with requests to submit recipient data, while others sued to block disclosure. “The problem is you have an extremely corrupt program,” she asserted.

Johnson echoed Rollins’ criticisms, stating that government benefits were intended as temporary aid rather than long-term support. He blamed “Marxists” and “socialists” for expanding programs into “a massive welfare benefit where so many people are taking advantage of it.” He warned against the dangers of socialism, calling it a “scourge on humanity.”

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