David Schroeder is a 65-year-old Army veteran who, like more than 150,000 Iowans, relies on SNAP to put food on the table. But just a few weeks ago, David’s benefits were stolen by scammers in a state he’s never visited. He’s one of 88 Iowans targeted by SNAP fraud in recent weeks.
Zoom out: Over $11 billion was lost nationwide last year to SNAP fraud, Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card scams, and improper payments.
The problem: Under current law, victims like David aren’t guaranteed reimbursement, and states with rising fraud and error rates face zero accountability. That’s not fair to taxpayers, or to Iowans who rely on SNAP.
The solution: “Two-fold accountability”
1️⃣ I joined David at his home in Des Moines this morning to announce the SNAP Anti-Theft and Victim Compensation Act to:
✅ Guarantee full reimbursement when benefits are stolen through no fault of the recipient.
✅ Empower USDA to investigate cyber-enabled theft like EBT skimming.
✅ Increase penalties for criminals and improve state transparency on fraud and enforcement.
2️⃣ We just passed a budget package that protects SNAP with commonsense work requirements for able bodied adults and accountability for states with high fraud and error rates.
Bottom Line: SNAP is meant to help Iowans in need—not fraudsters gaming a broken system. We’re leading commonsense fixes to protect and restore food assistance for those who rely on it.