EXCLUSIVE: The Bureaucratic Trick Costing You Billions-BBC Eligibility for SNAP Explained-

0:00This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. We found snappercipients had more than 2,000 Tesla owners, 200 alpha Romeo owners, more than 144 that receiving food stamps were driving porches. Before we had no accountability on any of these programs, we now are requiring accountability. The blue states are suing us. They don't want to share the data. You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Good Friday. Morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. And we've got a massive story for you. You will not believe just how much fraud and abuse there is with food stamps in this country or known as SNAP benefits. And it's all been set up for there to be waste fraud and abuse by the Democratic Party. Why? Simply to buy votes. So how easy is it to get food stamps? Well, you can be a multi-millionaire. Yeah, you can drive a Lamborghini or Ferrari.

1:01And we've got the receipts. It's the 47 Morning Update. And it starts right now. Story number one. When Donald Trump was elected, he promised he was going to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. We have learned just how corrupt our government actually is. We've learned that Medicare and Medicaid, there's massive fraud. Hospice care, massive fraud. We have learned that it's in food stamps. And now the foundation for government accountability has exposed even more. Explaining now that millionaires and lottery winners are collecting food stamps. You heard that right. Under a massive, purposely created federal loophole, it is now possible for millionaires and lottery winners to get food stamps. The best way you can describe this is it is fraud by design. And this is not protecting the needy. It is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions,

2:01which then turns into billions of dollars. And it's all called broad-based categorical eligibility. That is how they have now turned this entire system into a fraudulent system on purpose. And when I say they, I'm talking exactly about the Democratic Party. I want you to listen carefully to how broad-based categorical eligibility works, because it may sound boring, but it's costing you countless tax dollars every single year. Today, one in eight people are enrolled in taxpayer-funded food stamps. This program was designed to help the truly needy. But thanks to a federal loophole known as broad-based categorical eligibility or BBCE, more than 40 states are exploiting the program, giving food stamps to millionaires, lottery winners, and millions of recipients with more than enough resources to buy their own groceries. In fact, millions of food stamp recipients

3:02exceed the federal asset or income limits. Roughly one in five of those enrollees have $100,000 or more in assets. This loophole is no accident, it's fraud by design. Federal law requires states to check asset limits for anyone applying for food stamps. If your assets are too high, you don't qualify. But here's where the BBCE work around comes in. If someone is deemed eligible to receive other welfare benefits, they automatically qualify for food stamps. And states have fully weaponized this loophole. They created new types of welfare benefits, like pamphlets, flyers, and hotlines, not to provide aid, but to legally bypass income and asset limits. Let me just be clear about what you just heard. States decided that there can be simple things that you can be given, that then categorize and qualify you as receiving government aid.

4:03So if you received a pamphlet on good parenting, single parenting, how to have a baby, or to not have a baby, any government pamphlet that they have deemed to be government aid, then you at that exact moment are automatically eligible for food stamps. That's why there's so many recipients through the BBCE requirements that actually have no business receiving these SNAP benefits because it's all about exposing and going around the traditional rules. They have wide discretion at a state level on how to apply it. And then they wanna make sure that as many people in their state can get into these programs. Most recipients, by the way, of food stamps are not wealthy, but what we're witnessing is most are also not poor. And many of these families can afford their own groceries,

5:04but because they were given a pamphlet from the government, that these state deems as you guessed it, a state benefit or government benefit, then automatically you are then eligible for food stamps. Now, this is why there needs to be massive reform because if you win the lottery or you're a multi-millionaire, my tax towers should not be paying for your groceries. Keep listening. As long as someone qualifies to receive a pamphlet, they are categorically eligible for food stamps. It's really that easy. This is fraud and mismanagement at the highest level. And the consequence is that it drives up the cost for taxpayers and threatened benefits for the truly needy. It's time for states to close the BBC e-group hole. Learn more at thefga.org. Now, this was one of the most powerful one-minute in 42nd videos I've ever seen because not only does it explain exactly what's happening here, but now you understand why you and I should be paying attention

6:07to this. So let's move to what we now know. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that's known as SNAP is now being reported that it is experiencing the highest levels of fraud and theft the system has ever seen. Estimates are now suggesting that there are losses up to, okay, this is the, this is the guesstimates, the estimates that there are now losses of your tax dollars that are being gone through fraud and abuse and theft of more than $20 billion annually. That is prompting increased federal, state, and law enforcement action by the Trump administration, something that they promised. Now, the key aspects of the current SNAP abuse they're saying is number one, massive EBT theft skimming. What does that mean? Criminal organizations are heavily targeting beneficiaries by using illegal skimming devices to then clone EBT cards.

7:07That results in hundreds of millions in stolen benefits each and every year. Then there is trafficking. What is trafficking? It's the illegal sale of your SNAP benefits for cash. It's become a significant issue. Many times you'll get $100, for example, a food stamps right on your SNAP card and somebody will buy those from you for $30, $40, $50, whatever the market rate is that day in the black market. There's also improper payments. The program is seeing what they describe as a massive increase in improper payments. With a 12% rate reported in the fiscal year 2024, that is often they say due to administrative errors or failure to verify data. Then you have the fraudulent activity types. Investigations are uncovering individuals collecting benefits in not one state, but in multiple states simultaneously. Using the identities of deceased individuals

8:08and misrepresenting their household income as well. There's also what we've now learned today, a new aspect to this and it's costing you also millions of dollars. There's international crime involvement. Investigations are now exposing that international criminal organizations are involved in stealing benefits to fund other illicit activities. And then there's another type of fraud that apparently is massive, that no one has been policing. And that is retail fraud. Some retailers have been implicated in now schemes where they exchange snap benefits for cash, with some cases involving hundreds of thousands of dollars at a single location. Now the USDA's Food and Nutrition Services is now working, they say, to replace stolen benefits and also improve EBT card security, including moving towards chip technology that we're currently not using.

9:09We also know at the Office of Inspector General and the Secret Service are conducting targeted operations. They say to combat EBT fraud, but that is not enough, which brings us back to the woman who's in charge of all of this. Secretary Brooke Rollins said in just one state, there were 14,000 individuals, and this was a Republican state that was receiving snap benefits. And the people that were receiving them were driving luxury vehicles. What types? Ferraris, Bentley's, Lamborghini's, Maserati's, more than 140 Porsche's, more than 244 Alfa Romeo's, more than 306 Land Rovers. And where are the fraudsters coming from the most? They're a bunch of low-climbers. They've drive more than 2,090 Teslas. Here's part of what she had to say about the fraud and just how bad it's gotten. She was sharing previously, no data was shared.

10:10We had no idea where the taxpayer, dollars were spent, just one red state, the recent dump of data. We found snap recipients had more than 2,000 Tesla owners, 200 Alfa Romeo owners, more than 144 that were receiving food stamps were driving Porsche's. Again, this is the data dumps we're getting because before we had no accountability on any of these programs, we now are requiring accountability. The blue states are suing us. They don't want to share the data. And can you imagine this was a red state where there is actually some taxpayer accountability? Imagine what's happening in the blue states if that's happening in the red state. I go back over those numbers. In a conservative state, you had 14,000 individuals receiving snap benefits that were driving luxury vehicles. Three were driving Bentley's, four Ferrari's, 11 Lamborghini's, 59 Maserati's, 141 Porsche's, 244 Alfa Romeo's, 306 Land Rovers and over 2,000 Teslas.

11:12These individuals, by the way, know what they're doing. They're taking advantage of you and I, the American taxpayer. And now what we're seeing is offense. Not only is Brooke Rawlings working together with the VP, the vice president who's in charge of this task force to eliminate fraud, but they now say that 4.3 million Americans have been moved off of the snap benefits, but they say unfortunately there's more work that needs to be done. Now let's just go back to that for a second. 4.3 million Americans have been moved off of food stamps. That's how much fraud they were able to find quickly and easily. Now we're moving, she put out an statement, the new Food and Nutrition Administration out of DC and into the heartland where it belongs. That also could change the leadership getting rid of the woke ideology in Washington DC. They say they're shifting staff close to those they support and making us more efficient and responsive to the millions of families that are touched by the USDA's nutrition programs. They say it's gonna deliver faster and better service

12:14for families who need nutrition assistants and stronger support for American farmers who grow the food for their tables. Saying quote, we are laser focused on serving the American people with greater efficiency and this reorganization will do just that. That is great news. As there's another headline that says USDA announces the Food and Nutrition Administration formally the Food Nutrition Services and actions will be moved to better serve the states. That is what should be happening each and every day. Now let's go back to the fraud for just a moment. The USDA's Food and Nutrition Services, they say this is costing you and this is what they're admitting to, billions of dollars. Why? It's pretty simple because Democrats have decided that it's the best thing they can do is bribe voters to vote for them by allowing them to take these fraudulent benefits. So if we know that's what the left is doing

13:14and they're handing out these benefits to buy votes then this issue is front and center right now going into the midterms. Congress, the good news is is doing something about it. They're debating massive snap reforms. New laws that would tighten work requirements nationwide. Lawmakers also looking for cost savings and fraud reduction and they're going after the BBCE because the single biggest lever to shrink snap enrollment would be getting rid of that massive loophole. Were you getting quote government aid? Yes, a pamphlet on anything from the state government automatically qualifies you for food stamps. Now Republicans are saying it's time to reform. You got to get rid of the loophole. It enables waste, it enables fraud and it is enabling exactly what Donald Trump said we must stop. They want to reinstate the asset tests. Lower income thresholds are what matter. They want to tighten eligibility.

14:16Democrats of course are saying no. They believe that this is a lifeline to buying votes. They say if you push millions off of food stamps that could be millions of their voters that would disappear. Now of course they're going to play the emotional game. They're going to say that Republicans are trying to star people, especially children and any form of like reform that means cuts. Democrats are going to use to their advantage. Get ready for it, it's going to happen. So as we move forward, I wanted you to know about this program. I wanted you to understand the loophole and I wanted you to understand why this is so important going into the midterms. For the President of the United States Americans say, hey, you shouldn't get food stamps just because you got a government pamphlet or you even got a hotline number in some states. Yes, even getting a phone number of a government agency is considered government assistance. That should not make you eligible for food stamps period

15:18and the reason why 46 states are doing this is because they're all trying to get their piece of the pie. They're trying to get some of their money as fast as they can from the federal government and they don't even care if it's going out for waste fraud and abuse. Now luckily the President has a chance to fix this and Republicans better do their job and that's exactly why I hope you'll take everything I just gave you and share it wherever you can around the country. Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now and for more in-depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.