Kansas could lose over $10 million in SNAP funding

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kansas House Speaker Daniel Hawkins put out a statement criticizing the Department for Children and Families (DCF) and Governor Kelly’s refusal to give the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) information regarding SNAP recipients.

Last week, the USDA sent a letter to the DCF and Governor Kelly informing them that they have 30 days to comply with their eligibility data request before federal funding would be withheld. The information the USDA is requesting includes names, birthdays, social security numbers, home addresses and income information The letter states that the federal government will withhold $10.4 million in funds used for the administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for each quarter that the DCF fails to comply.

“We could save losing, you know, $10 million,” Kansas GOP member Michael Austin told 27 News. “And that’s money that could be used for needy families in order to have food. It can be used just for regular Kansans. I mean, the effects are are pretty large. And so math wise, I think it just makes sense to comply instead of having this political fight and risking the whole program, failing.”

Democrats have argued that because the error rate for SNAP has gone down in the past few years and that the timing of the request does not add up. They claim this is a privacy issue, and it has nothing to do with fraud or waste.

“I don’t know any Kansan that wants the federal government to have the most intimate details of their lives at their fingertips without any kind of significant oversight,” Democratic Representative Alexis Simmons told 27 News. “And the governor understands that, and that’s what she’s advocating for.”

Governor Kelly has pointed to a lawsuit several states have joined challenging the overturning of data, and she doesn’t appear to be willing to give up Kansans personal information. But withholding the data means serious SNAP cuts.

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