Authored by Tom Gantert via The Epoch Times,
President Donald Trump’s anti-fraud efforts have brought renewed focus on issues plaguing the welfare system, including the millions of dollars in food stamps that are being sent to dead recipients.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report last month stating that 185,986 deceased people in 29 states were receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as of July 1, 2025, at an annual cost of $419.6 million. It also reported an additional $3 billion in potential fraud, waste, and abuse.
On May 21, a federal jury convicted a man who stole the identity of Carlos Ramon Obregon, who was killed in a 1977 Los Angeles drive-by shooting. Decades after the 14-year-old’s death, the defendant used the dead teen’s identity to collect about $283,000 in government benefits, including SNAP benefits, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, and COVID-19 payments.
That’s just one example that the administration has outlined to highlight the issue. Here’s what to know about the problem of dead recipients, which has been lingering for decades.
Renewed Focus by Trump AdminTrump directed federal agencies via executive order in March 2025 to ensure “unfettered access” to data from federally funded state programs such as SNAP, also known as food stamps.
In response, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service told state agencies on May 6, 2025, that all records associated with SNAP must be made available to the federal government.
“For years, this program has been on autopilot, with no USDA insight into real-time data,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins wrote in a letter to states.
Following the USDA’s demand for detailed information on food stamp recipients to review for fraud, a coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit against the USDA, accusing the agency of unlawfully demanding massive amounts of sensitive SNAP recipient data.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington on Feb. 17, 2026. The department reported in May that millions of dead people were receiving food stamp benefits. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
The July 2025 lawsuit, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, argued that the USDA was seeking unprecedented access to five years of personal information tied to millions of food assistance applicants, including Social Security numbers, home addresses, immigration status, and grocery transaction records.
The lawsuit led to an October 2025 court order allowing the opposing states to withhold the data requested by the federal government.
“Let’s be crystal clear: The president is trying to hijack a nutrition program to fuel his mass surveillance agenda,” Bonta said in a statement announcing the ruling.
He said that his state will “continue to vigorously litigate this lawsuit and defend [California] communities, protect privacy, and ensure that SNAP remains a tool for fighting hunger—not a weapon for political targeting.”
The USDA sent follow-up letters to 21 states that had not turned over state data on SNAP, asking them to comply.
The agency’s preliminary assessment, based on data provided by compliant states, indicated that “billions of dollars in federal funds may have been lost due to fraud or other errors undetected by States in their administration of SNAP,” the November 2025 letter states.
A USDA spokesperson told The Epoch Times that “by not sharing data, noncompliant states continue to prioritize criminals over the American taxpayer.”
“By simply sharing data, states can protect those most in need, get the criminals out, and save their hardworking taxpayers millions of dollars,” the spokesperson said.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks in Los Angeles on April 15, 2024. A July 2025 lawsuit led by Bonta pushed back on a USDA request for state information on millions of SNAP recipients. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times
How Dead People End Up on Food StampsA 1998 Government Accountability Office report stated that agencies historically “rely primarily on unverified information on household membership” from food stamp applicants and participants.
That 1998 report found nearly 26,000 deceased individuals tied to SNAP benefits in four states in 1995 and 1996. The states reviewed were California, New York, Florida, and Texas. Estimated improper payments totaled $8.5 million.
According to the report, states did not always match recipients against Social Security death records. In multiperson households, deceased members sometimes remained on food stamp rolls after their demise, increasing benefits. In other cases, an individual continued fraudulently using the dead person’s identity.
Now, states have been told to check SNAP beneficiaries against death records.
A “We Accept (Food Stamps)” sign hangs in the window of a grocery store in Miami on Oct. 31, 2025. A new federal SNAP integrity team will analyze state data with the aim of ending fraud. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The USDA estimated that even after a state determined that a person receiving SNAP benefits had died, it could take an additional six to 12 months before benefits were discontinued. Commonly, states identify SNAP recipients as being on the Social Security Administration’s death master file, but they must conduct further research before they act on that information. Therefore, they wait several months until the dead recipient’s next recertification period to discontinue the benefit.
The USDA created its own SNAP integrity team in May 2025 to analyze data it receives from the states, along with all other available information, to end indiscriminate welfare fraud.
Rachel Sheffield, research fellow in welfare and family policy with The Heritage Foundation, told The Epoch Times that states need to take more accountability.
“Federal taxpayers fund SNAP, but states administer the program,” Sheffield said. “The chain of accountability is broken because states aren’t financially responsible when individuals remain on the rolls who shouldn’t be there.
“In fact, states receive more federal funding for every additional person enrolled. States should be held accountable for how they administer SNAP. Providing their data allows for transparency to taxpayers.”
Sheffield said the SNAP program should be reformed so that states are required to share in the cost.
A Houston resident holds a card identifying her as a SNAP beneficiary while she waits to get supplies from the Houston Food Bank Program at NRG Stadium in Houston on Nov 1, 2025. About 39 million people receive food stamps benefits each month, according to the USDA. Moisés Ávila/AFP via Getty Images
Long-Running Problem
Benefits fraud sometimes goes undetected for years or even decades.
In another high-profile case, federal prosecutors alleged in April that a Worcester, Massachusetts, man fraudulently collected SNAP benefits for years by using the identity of a deceased U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the suspect—believed to actually be a citizen of the Dominican Republic—allegedly assumed the identity of a Puerto Rican man who died in 2006 and used it to obtain state identification documents, a Social Security card, and public benefits.
Prosecutors said the man collected more than $12,000 in SNAP benefits between 2022 and 2026, despite internal concerns raised by a state employee noting a possible “death match” tied to the Social Security number.
The case involving Obregon was used by the Trump administration to highlight the work of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, which was created on April 7 by the Department of Justice.
Hurricane survivors receive food and water being given out by volunteers and municipal police in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 28, 2017. Dead people in the commonwealth received 150 million in Nutrition Assistance Program benefits between 2017 and 2024, Puerto Rico's comptroller recently reported. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The Justice Department on May 27 announced reforms to speed up the review of False Claims Act whistleblower complaints involving fraud in federally funded, state-run benefits programs.
The Civil Division will prioritize initial reviews within 60 to 120 days. Its aim is to quickly identify major fraud schemes, recover taxpayer money, and coordinate with criminal prosecutors and federal agencies under the administration’s broader anti-fraud enforcement initiative.
The federal government continues to take action against fraud.
The USDA Office of Inspector General is reviewing findings that Puerto Rico improperly paid about $150 million in Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to deceased individuals between 2017 and 2024. Those findings were reported in April by Puerto Rico’s comptroller.
Puerto Rico participates in the Nutrition Assistance Program, or NAP, which differs from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program because it operates as a federal block grant rather than a traditional SNAP entitlement program.
Tyler Durden Tue, 06/09/2026 - 18:25Summary:
Enough is enough!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2026 Belfast is burning... 'far-right' blamed by mediaGardaí are “keeping a watching brief” for any violence or what the media is describing as 'far-right activity' following the Belfast stabbing.
As the night drew on, more and more images and videos emerged of Belfast burning.
A car engulfed in flames crashed into an apartment building in Belfast amid ongoing unrest...A car engulfed in flames crashed into an apartment building in Belfast amid ongoing unrest following the attempted beheading of a local resident.
🎥: @ScopeReport_ pic.twitter.com/NfeQTRrYTG
Masked groups are reportedly roaming the streets...
🚨BREAKING: Belfast is already on fire as masked groups take to the streets
This is going to be a long night… 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/vMaxFLJRoc
Homes have been set ablaze....
WATCH: Homes were set ablaze in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as protests intensified following an l attempted beheading.
VIA: @AZ_Intel_ https://t.co/bAs6Os8JsK pic.twitter.com/be0XXzbSX9
Some on social media likened the chaotic images to those during 'The Troubles'.
Mass Protests Expected In Coming HoursLast night's attempted beheading of a British man by a Somali migrant in Belfast is becoming a major flashpoint, with mass protests reportedly expected across more than 70 cities in the coming hours.
🚨BREAKING: Elon Musk declares, "Only Restore Britain can save Britain," following the attempted beheading in Belfast
— GB Politics (@GBPolitcs) June 9, 2026The attack has intensified public anger over Britain's long-running, nation-killing mass migration policies, which have fueled chaos, violent crime, and a broader national security failure.
"Sh*t is about to hit the fan in Belfast" ...
You don't mess with the people of Belfast. pic.twitter.com/cVgjgo3Mzf
— Susanne Delaney (@SuzieD755164) June 9, 2026"The whole of the United Kingdom is hitting the streets tonight at 7 pm following yet another invader attack on our people," activist Tommy Robinson wrote on X.
The whole of the United Kingdom is hitting the streets tonight at 7pm following yet another invader attack on our people.
It's time 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/tscckc9ceK
Robinson continued, "The invader who tried to behead someone in Belfast last night traveled from Sudan to Paris, flew from Paris to Dublin, then got a bus from Dublin to Belfast on 10th February 2023 and claimed 'asylum'. The British government let him stay, and now this. Blood on their hands."
The invader who tried to behead someone in Belfast last night travelled from Sudan to Paris, flew from Paris to Dublin, then got a bus from Dublin to Belfast on 10th February 2023 and claimed "asylum".
The British government let him stay, and now this.
Blood on their hands. https://t.co/vlrmXJuSIz
Apparently, the government has dispatched water cannon trucks to Belfast ahead of the protests.
WATCH👀: 3 Water Cannon lorries spotted on route to Belfast ahead of the protest pic.twitter.com/iHb8xukSeu
— The Reformed Media (@ReformedMedia_) June 9, 2026Elon Musk chimed in: "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!"
Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!! https://t.co/73GDcLLFwv
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2026Musk was always right all along:
Elon Musk was always right:
"You either fight back, or you die." pic.twitter.com/9fIHliiQsn
Tonight's protests should be closely monitored for signs of escalation, as any broadening demonstrations could mark a political pressure point for the UK's left-wing ruling class, which has failed the nation. If demonstrations spread across multiple cities and sustain momentum, the Belfast attack could unleash a nationwide backlash against elites who doomed the nation through mass migration.
Belfast Horror: African Migrant Tries To Saw Off Victim's Head In Street AttackAuthored by Steve Watson via modernity,
Authorities and the media have scrambled to soften language around a graphic knife assault last night by an apparent African migrant that has left a local Belfast man fighting for his life with devastating injuries.
Horrific footage shows the attacker straddling the victim and repeatedly stabbing his head before sawing at his neck in a clear attempt to behead him. Bystanders screamed in horror as the attack unfolded. However, police have described it as nothing more than a "stabbing incident" involving "a man."
The assault happened shortly after 10:30 pm on Monday on Kinnaird Avenue in north Belfast. The attacker hacked at his victim's head and neck with a small boxcutter-style Stanley knife. Locals rushed in to drag the assailant off, batting him with blunt objects before police finally arrived.
African migrant just tried to behead a white man in North Belfast, Ireland. Video is too graphic to post. pic.twitter.com/ih5uVA4px6
- End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 8, 2026Bystanders could be heard yelling: "He's trying to cut his head off."
The victim is understood to be alive in the hospital at the time of writing but has sustained life-altering injuries. Speculation online points to the possibility he has lost both eyes after the frenzied assault.
WARNING - EXTREMELY GRAPHIC VIDEO:
The Police Service of Northern Ireland issued a statement calling it merely a "stabbing incident." They confirmed one man has been arrested and another taken to the hospital with serious injuries. There was no mention of the attacker's background, immigration status, or the obvious attempt to decapitate the victim.
Just another 'stabbing' by a 'man', nothing else to see here. https://t.co/f0KdwKNF7d
- m o d e r n i t y (@ModernityNews) June 9, 2026It wasn't just a "stabbing incident". We all saw the video. The migrant was attempting to saw a guys head off
- Inevitable West (@Inevitablewest) June 9, 2026The media is not focusing on the incident.
Woke up expecting that Belfast horror to be all over the media.
BBC and Sky front pages. Nowhere. pic.twitter.com/MEQuVIUzUx
The BBC buried a report with the headline "Man taken to hospital with 'serious injuries' after stabbing."
Man taken to hospital with 'serious injuries' after stabbing https://t.co/QrQVLvxssq
- BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 9, 2026A man has been taken to hospital with "serious injuries" following a stabbing in north Belfast. https://t.co/v7Pljb5woz
- BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) June 9, 2026Irish state media did the same.
Irish State TV already trying to downplay the beheading attempt: pic.twitter.com/jaK96zLBp1
- End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 9, 2026The gap between what the footage shows and what official channels reported sparked immediate fury online.
Deport these horrible bastards out of our fucking country
STOP LETTING THEM IN!!!
Left wing fucking lunatics want this on our streets, absolute scumbags.
Third world horrible bastards ? https://t.co/he71pQGMKu
? You have all seen the Belfast footage by now. A man nearly beheaded on a public street in broad daylight. Only saved because three brave locals ran in and stopped it themselves.
The police were not there. The government was not there. Ordinary people saved that man's life.
And...
The post continues, "...Ordinary people saved that man's life. And while that was happening Keir Starmer was in Westminster figuring out how to arrest you for posting about it. Open borders. Two-tier policing. Unarmed citizens fighting off attackers alone. This is the British Labor Party built."
Others stated they wouldn't have been surprised to see the locals who tried to subdue the attacker being arrested, a reference to revelations regarding the Henry Nowak case.
Leftist apologists immediately rushed to psychiatric excuses before any details emerged about the attacker's identity, background, or possible motive.
Didn't take long. pic.twitter.com/g04YzuY10r
- Basil the Great (@BasilTheGreat) June 9, 2026The recurring question remains the same. How many of these daily attacks on native people have to happen before meaningful action in the form of closing the borders and mass remigration is instituted?
Tyler Durden Tue, 06/09/2026 - 18:20