Secretary Brooke Rollins says the agency will ensure that only legal U.S. citizens receive federal nutrition and farm assistance.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Monday that the USDA will conduct a full review of all federal benefit programs to confirm that only legal citizens are receiving assistance. The move expands the department’s ongoing efforts to tighten oversight of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.
“Right now, we are requiring states [to] turn over recipient data to fight waste, fraud, and abuse,” Rollins said in a post on X. “Even though 22 blue states have refused to provide the data, we are using every tool to compel their compliance.” She added that states were already placed “on notice” that illegal immigrants and certain non-citizens cannot receive SNAP benefits, thanking President Donald Trump for his support in enforcing the policy.
Her statement accompanied a share of President Trump’s message emphasizing the administration’s broader immigration and welfare reforms. “The official United States Foreign population stands at 53 million people… most of which are on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels,” Trump wrote. He said the federal government would “end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens” and deport any foreign nationals who are public charges or security risks.
Rollins’ announcement follows a directive issued in April by Acting Deputy Under Secretary John Walk, instructing state agencies to enhance identity and immigration verification practices for SNAP applicants, as outlined in a USDA press release.
“President Trump has made it clear that American taxpayers will no longer subsidize illegal aliens,” Rollins said at the time. “We are stewards of taxpayer dollars, and it is our duty to ensure states confirm the identity and verify the immigration status of SNAP applicants. USDA’s nutrition programs are intended to support the most vulnerable Americans.”
In July, the USDA clarified its legal interpretation of “Federal public benefit” under the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), reaffirming that noncitizens are ineligible for taxpayer-funded SNAP benefits.
Rollins said the comprehensive review will cover all USDA-administered programs, continuing the Trump administration’s broader effort to ensure that federal welfare resources “go only to those who are lawfully eligible to receive them.”
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