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Food stamps were initially issued to help those struggling under the weight of the Great Depression avoid starvation. Recently, however, an analysis of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailers found that thousands of smoke shops and liquor stores were approved as retailers under the program.
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From Just the News:
An analysis of SNAP retailer data by the Foundation for Government Accountability published on Monday found that more than 5,000 liquor and smoke shops were approved retailers under the program, meaning they can accept food stamps, according to research findings shared exclusively with Just the News.
Breaking down the data, more than 4,000 stores promoted alcohol in their title and another 1,000 did so for tobacco. The foundation told Just the News the real numbers could be even higher, considering researchers only counted stores that referenced those products in their titles.
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Food stamps cannot be used for purchases of either alcohol or tobacco. However, the FGA says the prevalence of stores that sell these products raises concerns about the potential for different kinds of SNAP fraud. These stores “become hotbeds of fraud” where benefit cards are bought and sold in exchange for alcohol or tobacco products, Senior Data Analyst at FGA Kristi Stahr told Just the News.
As Just the News notes, the prevalence of these types of stores on the approved vendor list raises health-related questions. Liquor stores and smokes shops are unlikely to sell anything with substantial nutritional value, FGA says.
Perhaps more alarming is the potential for fraud. Michael Greibrok, Senior Research Fellow at FGA, says these retailers are “ripe targets for scammers and fraud schemes.” There are have many cases in the past of illegal buying, selling, and trading of food stamp benefits, and Just the News cites three cases from the past 10 years as examples.
The Trump administration is working to root out this fraud, and the Department of Agriculture reportedly asked states for their SNAP data earlier this year. More than 20 of these states, however, sued the Trump administration over the request, with California leading the challenge. Just the News notes that California is home to both the largest number of SNAP recipients and nearly half of the liquor stores and smoke shots approved as SNAP retailers.
As the Trump administration works to end this abuse, let’s pray for an end to fraud and waste in SNAP!
How are you praying about this issue? Share your prayers for SNAP below.
(Excerpt from Just the News. Photo Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
