Matt Walsh: Time to Clean Up SNAP and Demand Accountability
- SNAP faces serious fraud and needs strict standards.
- Taxpayers deserve accountability, not endless handouts.
- Common-sense reforms like verification and drug testing restore fairness.
The fight over government spending has tossed SNAP into the spotlight, and conservative voices are calling for a full audit and overhaul. You can see the broader spending debate highlighted below.
Americans are tired of watching their money vanish into systems that reward abuse instead of work.
Matt Walsh zeroed in on the problem without the usual political hedging and said it plainly: “The ongoing government shutdown has finally drawn attention to the scale of this fraud, and it is astronomical. It has exposed a vast network of criminal activity that needs to be shut down.” This isn’t partisan theater; it’s a demand for enforcement and clarity. As Walsh noted, “it’s illegal under federal law to provide financial assistant assistance to illegal aliens.”
When fraud and mismanagement are exposed, the response should be straightforward verification and prosecution of criminals and corrupt officials. Conservatives aren’t arguing to abandon help for the truly needy; we’re saying benefits must be targeted, temporary, and accountable. The status quo allows fraud to flourish and turns programs into political patronage machines.
Walsh outlined blunt, practical steps to restore integrity: “And then once we’re done with that, we need drug testing and weight testing for anyone receiving SNAP. We need a system that does not subsidize the grocery bills of 45 million people for the indefinite future with no time limit or restriction.” Critics will scream cruelty, but the real cruelty is trapping people in dependency while honest taxpayers foot the bill. The goal is a program that helps people get back on their feet, not one that subsidizes a lifetime of reliance.
He went further, challenging the philosophy behind modern welfare and insisting on standards: “And beyond that point, if the food stamp program is going to continue to exist at all, which I’m not convinced it should, it needs to have standards, strict standards. It needs to have a reason to exist. Someone needs to be able to explain in a coherent fashion why the spending is necessary.” The left rarely answers that basic question because their answer is more spending and more bureaucracy. Real reform means trimming wasted dollars, enforcing laws, and making work the obvious path out of poverty.
President Trump’s America First agenda—lower taxes, fewer regulations, energy independence—proved that stronger economies reduce dependency and lift people up. That track record matters because the best social program is a job and a chance to succeed, not permanent government checks. Republicans pushing accountability on SNAP want fairness for taxpayers and dignity for recipients.
MATT WALSH: “The ongoing government shutdown has finally drawn attention to the scale of this fraud, and it is astronomical. It has exposed a vast network of criminal activity that needs to be shut down. Just for starters, as the attorney Mike Davis has pointed out, it’s illegal under federal law to provide financial assistant assistance to illegal aliens. It’s also illegal to rob stores and then brag about it on TikTok. At a minimum, we could start there. Arrest these criminals, prosecute the state officials who are paying out benefits to illegal aliens, who, by the way, typically receive Medicaid funding as well, and then also other welfare benefits. And then once we’re done with that, we need drug testing and weight testing for anyone receiving SNAP. We need a system that does not subsidize the grocery bills of 45 million people for the indefinite future with no time limit or restriction. And beyond that point, if the food stamp program is going to continue to exist at all, which I’m not convinced it should, it needs to have standards, strict standards. It needs to have a reason to exist. Someone needs to be able to explain in a coherent fashion why the spending is necessary. Democrats have had several days to give us an explanation, and they failed to do it. In fact, they’ve essentially admitted it’s a shell game, and it’s rife with fraud. They’ve admitted that they’re just redistributing money or creating economic activity, as Tim Walz put it.”
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