Trump orders task force to counter fraud in SNAP, nutrition programs

Olivia M. Bridges, CQ-Roll Call on Mar 17, 2026

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order to establish a task force intended to eliminate fraud in food stamp and federal child nutrition programs, and other federal programs, addressing a GOP talking point after a fraud scheme was uncovered in Minnesota.

The order would establish a task force, led by Vice President JD Vance, to coordinate a national strategy to stop fraud, waste and abuse in programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and child nutrition programs.

The task force will develop measures to overhaul eligibility verification and controls to operate the funds before they are obligated to prevent improper payments, evaluate fraud indicators and high-risk vulnerabilities, promote information and data sharing, and dismantle fraud networks, among other activities.

The administration said several fraud cases in Minnesota justified the need for the task force.

“Nearly 9 percent of the roughly $866 million spent on food stamps in Minnesota each year is estimated to be spent in error. The non-profit Feeding our Future engineered a scam that stole nearly $250 million intended to feed needy children in Minnesota by opening fake meal sites and submitting fraudulent claims for millions of meals that were never served,” the order said.

The Feeding our Future case dates back to the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA waived several participation requirements under the Child Nutrition Program. The organization, led by Aimee Bock, the founder and executive director, oversaw a fraud scheme with Salim Said that claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Minnesota.

Feeding our Future submitted fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Department of Education to obtain federal funding under the Child Nutrition Program. The organization received approximately $3.4 million in federal funds in 2019 and $200 million in 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Bock and Said were found guilty of defrauding $250 million in pandemic funds by a federal jury. Both are awaiting sentencing.

The Agriculture Department in May 2025 required SNAP data from all states, in conjunction with Trump’s March 20, 2025, executive order requiring the elimination of fraud and abuse in federal programs. In December, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins threatened to withhold SNAP administrative funds from 21 states — including Minnesota — that refused to turn over food stamp data.

A U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in February issued a preliminary injunction blocking the USDA from withholding those funds.

The Treasury, Agriculture, Justice, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security departments, along with the Small Business Administration, Office of Management and Budget, and any other relevant agencies will appoint representatives to join the task force. Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson will be vice chairman.