On November 14, 2025, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a sweeping overhaul of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), requiring all 42 million beneficiaries to reapply for benefits. Speaking on Newsmax, Rollins cited data from 29 mostly Republican-led states revealing “186,000 deceased men and women and children” receiving payments and over 500,000 duplicate recipients, calling the program “broken and corrupt.”
BREAKING – Sec. of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has just announced that the entirety of SNAP will be rebuilt and that all users will have to reapply to prove they genuinely need it. pic.twitter.com/V44xlPRZKh
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) November 14, 2025
The initiative, tied to President Trump’s fraud crackdown post-43-day government shutdown, aims to verify eligibility and ensure aid reaches only the “vulnerable” unable to survive without it. SNAP, costing $100 billion annually, already mandates recertification every 6-12 months, but Rollins’ plan escalates to a nationwide reset, with details pending.
Reactions split sharply along partisan lines. 29 states (mostly Red states), which provided the initial data, largely back the effort. Rollins praised their cooperation, noting it uncovered fraud like payments to the deceased, and suggested it paves the way for “fundamentally rebuilding” SNAP. Officials in states like Texas and Florida, per USDA statements, view it as essential to curb waste, with a spokesperson affirming Rollins’ goal to end “incessant abuse.” Republican governors, such as Nebraska’s Jim Pillen, have echoed flexibility in implementing federal reforms their way, signaling compliance.
21 non-complying (mostly blue) states, however, have resisted from the outset. These largely Democratic-led states withheld sensitive SNAP data—including Social Security numbers—prompting lawsuits and court challenges. A 26-state coalition sued in October 2025, securing rulings for partial funding during the shutdown, and now opposes the reapplication as burdensome red tape that could disenroll millions.
California, with 5 million recipients, is “working toward compliance” but prioritizes accuracy, per Director Jennifer Troia. Illinois and Pennsylvania websites blame “federal officials with the Trump Administration” for disruptions, framing it as GOP overreach harming vulnerable families.