Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., is taking Democrat Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to task over what the congressman says is the mismanagement of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which he says wasted $450 million in 2024.
“In 2024, Pennsylvania paid more than $450 million in SNAP [food stamp] benefits incorrectly, a combination of both overpayments and underpayments,” Thompson explained in a letter dated Tuesday to the governor.
The Pennsylvania congressman wrote that the Keystone State suffers from “a history of poor decision-making” that led to a “disservice to taxpayers and struggling beneficiaries.”
The state Department of Human Services “sought waivers for SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents in all but a few counties,” Thompson explained. That led, he said, to approximately “170,000 able-bodied adults without dependents hav[ing] been waived from work requirements.”
“In 2022, the Department of Human Services increased the income threshold to 200 percent of Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, creating a new benefit for more than 420,000 Pennsylvanians. Increasing SNAP caseloads have consequences for our most vulnerable,” the Thompson letter states.
Shapiro, up for reelection next year and thought to be gearing up for a 2028 presidential run, had criticized the “Big, Beautiful Bill” signed by the president as hurting Americans.
“Ironically, this bill betrays the very people Trump vowed to help. Think about it—Trump and his fellow Republicans campaigned on reducing the deficit, vowed not to cut Medicaid, and cozied up to the Trades and promised to protect their jobs,” the Pennsylvania governor commented in a statement on X posted on June 29.
“They are taking billions of dollars away from Pennsylvania, and we can’t make up for that,” Shapiro contended in July. The governor has also expressed opposition to a provision of the bill that causes states with higher payment error rates to face greater SNAP costs.
Thompson explained in his letter that Pennsylvania does not check for cash savings or investments, such as second homes, or luxury goods, such as recreational vehicles or boats, when ascertaining eligibility for SNAP through the Broad Based Categorical Eligibility state policy.
“If your administration cannot make improvements in program administration that have been possible in the past, I suggest that you reexamine budget priorities and further invest in SNAP. Congress can no longer turn a blind eye to states diverting taxpayer funding from vulnerable families, and you have an opportunity to be a part of this solution,” Thompson concluded.
“The administration has a game plan to improve case processing to lower the SNAP error rate and ensure we get the most Pennsylvanians the support they need,” Rosie Lapowsky, a spokeswoman for the Shapiro administration, told The Daily Signal.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services concurred with the governor’s office telling the Daily Signal: “Pennsylvania has made substantial progress lowering our error rate below the national average. To continue lowering our error rate, Pennsylvania will ramp up efforts to continue that progress.”
“Pennsylvania’s SNAP program had $450 million in payment errors last year, and Gov. Shapiro’s spokesperson just attributed it to ‘paperwork errors.’ That’s just plain wrong. Any sane person—regardless of their political leanings–would agree,” Renee Gamela, spokeswoman for Thompson, told The Daily Signal.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services also provided a statement detailing potential financial costs to Pennsylvania taxpayers.
“The new provisions will take effect in federal [fiscal year] 2027-28 and will be based on a state’s 2026 SNAP error rate. Pennsylvania’s current 2024 SNAP error rate is 10.76, an improvement of nearly 6 percentage points over its 2023 error rate. To illustrate hypothetical costs based on the current error rate, Pennsylvania taxpayers would be on the hook for an additional $660 million annually (plus an additional $125 million to shoulder 25% more of the costs required to administer/run the program; previously, this was split 50/50 between states and the federal government),” the state Department of Human Services told The Daily Signal.
“For the first time ever, the SNAP error rate will determine how much a state contributes to the cost of SNAP benefits—previously those benefits were 100% federally funded. The Republican budget bill cuts federal funding to states for SNAP and requires states to pay for a portion of the cost of benefits based on its SNAP error rate if the rate is above 6 percent. The SNAP error rate is not a measurement of fraud or intentional misuse—but rather a measure of minor paperwork errors related to administrative requirements for the program,” the department added.
