Americans Aren’t Being Refunded for SNAP Benefit Theft—That Could Soon Change

A Texas lawmaker is pushing for the federal government to reimburse Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients when their benefits are stolen—just months after the practice ended.

Why It Matters

SNAP benefits are paid to low- and no-income households across the U.S. that would otherwise struggle to afford groceries. The program reached some 41 million Americans in 2024.

SNAP benefits are administered to recipients through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards, which are loaded with money each month to use in participating stores across the country. Like regular debit or credit cards, they are subject to scams such as cloning, phishing or skimming.

What To Know

Lawmakers are now pushing for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reinstate its reimbursement policy, with Texas Representative Al Green, a Democrat, due to introduce legislation in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 24.

Green’s bill, SNAP SECURE Act of 2025, calls for the reinstatement of federal funding to cover SNAP recipients who have been victims of fraud and theft.

Newsweek has contacted Green’s office via email for comment outside of regular working hours.

SNAP benefit theft is a pervasive issue—in the final quarter of 2024, there were nearly 147,000 approved claims for stolen benefits nationwide, amounting to $69 million being paid back.

For benefits stolen prior to December 21, 2024, victims were in most cases reimbursed by the USDA, which funds the program. However, the funding required to repay theft targets was not approved by Congress late last year.

At the time, the federal agency said “SNAP state agencies can choose to replace stolen benefits using state funds.”

Green’s push to reinstate the repayment to SNAP recipients has been backed by fellow Texas Representative Sylvia Garcia, and state Governor Greg Abbott has also signaled his support.

Abbott said that, while he hasn’t yet seen the legislation himself, he wants “to ensure that the people for whom those benefits were intended actually receive those benefits.”

Green said he is filing the legislation following an investigation by KPRC 2, a local news outlet in Houston.

“I have in my hand a piece of legislation that I’ll be filing on Thursday,” Green said. “I’m honored to tell you that, because of your investigation, we will be filing this.”

What People Are Saying

Sylvia Garcia said, according to a report by KPRC 2: “I support Congressman Al Green’s SNAP SECURE Act of 2025 because I believe in SNAP and taking care of our neighbors and those who are most vulnerable.”

Greg Abbott said: “So, obviously I haven’t seen the legislation, but what I can tell you is this. First of all, if there are people out there stealing those benefits, that’s a crime. And that crime needs to be prosecuted and we need to eliminate the theft of those benefits. And then the second thing is obviously we want to ensure that the people for whom those benefits were intended actually receive those benefits.”