Food Stamp Fraud
What to know: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has uncovered a $66 million fraud scheme that was bilking the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps.
The TPPF take: States have no incentive to stop fraudsters from stealing taxpayer funds.
“States administer the program and essentially bill the federal government for SNAP subsidies paid out,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “This arrangement means there is little incentive for a state to combat fraud because the federal government automatically covers any extra spending. Even fraudsters spend their ill-gotten gains somewhere — most likely in the state where they are operating. Who cares if there is a little fraud? Of course, the U.S. taxpayer does.”
For more on food stamp fraud, click here.
That’s A Pity
What to know: NPR is mourning the loss of “thousands” of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) jobs in American academia and in the corporate world.
The TPPF take: That’s terrible!
“NPR’s Morning Edition profiled a sad, unemployed DEI officer who calls the current job market for people with DEI skills a ‘toxic wasteland,’” says TPPF’s Sherry Sylvester. “NPR acknowledges that the decline of DEI came even before Trump’s early executive orders banning DEI in many areas as businesses realized that divisive DEI programs were not strengthening their work force or improving the bottom line.”
For more on DEI, click here.
Securing the Border
What to know: Georgia National Guard troops are now at the southern U.S. border to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol protect American families.
The TPPF take: The National Guard has defended our borders in the past.
“And once again, the military is being asked to step up,” says TPPF’s Ammon Blair. “This time, under a renewed commitment from the Trump administration (and with Florida leading the way), states are no longer waiting for permission. They are acting to enforce the law, protect their people, and fulfill the constitutional duty the federal government has previously abandoned.”
For more on the border, click here.