As the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) we safeguard 16 taxpayer-funded nutrition assistance programs that provide vital support to vulnerable Americans. Under the leadership of President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Secretary Rollins, we are steadfast in ensuring every program operates with uncompromising integrity and accountability, with a relentless focus on serving eligible participants in need with efficiency, all while respecting the generosity of the American taxpayer.
What is Program Integrity?
- Following the law and associated regulations
- Eliminating fraud, waste and abuse
- Strengthening programs
- Providing strong, effective, and efficient customer service
How We Promote Program Integrity
We protect public resources and ensure accountability in all federal nutrition programs through:
- Increased monitoring and oversight
- Advanced data analytics
- Coordinated investigations
- Federal, state, and local partnerships
- Updated rules and regulations
- Technical assistance to states and operators
Spotlight On: Efforts to Reduce Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
The nutrition assistance programs we administer cost taxpayers nearly $400 million per day. It is critical that we are diligent stewards of that investment, guaranteeing it is spent wisely and as intended by law. This requires an all-hands-on-deck, cross-government approach to ending fraud, waste, and abuse.
Fighting Fraud
Whether committed by recipients, operators, retailers, or scammers, fraud undermines the public’s trust in federal nutrition assistance programs, steals from American taxpayers, and jeopardizes the programs’ ability to serve struggling families in need. We take a zero-tolerance approach, collaborating with our federal, state, and local partners, including law enforcement, to prevent, detect, and prosecute fraud through advanced analytic and investigative strategies. This includes coordinating with President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the USDA Office of Inspector General.
We also educate participants and the public to help them avoid falling victim to fraud and train state agencies on identifying and addressing suspected fraud, such as through the CACFP Serious Deficiency process. In addition, we continually invest in modernizing program technology to stop fraud before it starts. Learn more about our efforts to fight fraud in our largest nutrition assistance program on the SNAP Fraud Prevention webpage.
Eliminating Waste
Poor program administration, inefficient processes, and ineffective oversight create program waste at the expense of the American taxpayer. It is critical that nutrition assistance program benefits are issued only to eligible participants, on time and in the correct amount.
For many of our programs, state agencies are responsible for administration while the federal government is responsible for policy and oversight. We take that responsibility very seriously and use several effectiveness and efficiency measures and oversight processes to monitor and hold states accountable for minimizing waste. For example, the SNAP Quality Control process and the resulting payment error rates measure how accurately states determine households’ eligibility and benefit amounts. By law, states with high error rates face significant financial consequences.
We also support modernization efforts across all our programs, including WIC, to reduce waste by streamlining processes, leveraging available data to reduce duplication and increase accuracy, and improving customer service.
Preventing Abuse
Ensuring state agencies, program operators, and authorized retailers follow program rules and operate in line with Congressional intent is critical to preventing abuse in the nutrition assistance programs. We provide guidance, resources, technical assistance, and support to help all parties comply—and conduct extensive monitoring and evaluations to ensure they do. When we find evidence of abuse, we take action.
We also continually look for ways to strengthen the program and close policy loopholes to prevent abuse. For example, we updated the stocking standards for SNAP retailers to ensure they are actually in the business of selling real food, not just looking to make a quick buck off vulnerable Americans in need.
If you suspect fraud, waste, or abuse in the nutrition assistance programs, report it now.