Kansas loses $10 million in funding over SNAP debate

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Federal officials are cutting Kansas off from nearly $10.4 million in funding over an ongoing battle involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is nixing just under $10.4 million in federal funding to the Sunflower State, according to a letter signed by USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Patrick Penn and FNS Administrator James Miller on Sept. 20. The USDA officials sent the letter to Governor Laura Kelly, notifying her that Kansas is losing the funding after a failure to submit SNAP data requested earlier this year.

The USDA initially requested that Kelly and Kansas Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard turn over SNAP information by July 30. Kelly and Howard resisted the request, later stating that the request put the personal information of around 730,000 Kansans at risk.

A new deadline set for Sept. 19 has now passed for Kansas to comply with the USDA. As a result, Penn announced the FNS had disallowed a payment of around $10.4 million and will disallow future payments every three months that pass until the state provides the requested information. The USDA has given the DCF ten days to file a formal appeal of this disallowance.

“The complete transmission of the required SNAP enrollment data is imperative to ensure FNS and the State agency have full insight into SNAP program integrity. In the absence of data, FNS and the Department of Children and Families lack key information necessary to ensure effective stewardship of taxpayer dollars. FNS has already discovered from states that are complying with this statutory data sharing requirement that fraud or duplication in state distribution of federal funds has gone unreported and needs remediation. FNS stands ready to assist the Department of Children and Families with technical assistance to ensure its data is transmitted in compliance with Federal requirements.”
Penn and Miller letter excerpt

Kansas Republican leaders in the State Legislature and Attorney General Kris Kobach have admonished Kelly and Howard for not complying with the information request. House Speaker Dan Hawkins accused Kelly of covering up “waste, fraud, and abuse” within the state’s SNAP program on Aug. 7, while Kobach launched a lawsuit against her on Sept. 8.

The Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit has also launched an investigation into the SNAP program. Auditors are examining the program for signs of payment errors and misuse.

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