EXCLUSIVE: The Bureaucratic Trick Costing You Billions-BBC Eligibility for SNAP Explained-

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We found snappercipients had more than 2,000 Tesla owners,

200 alpha Romeo owners, more than 144

that receiving food stamps were driving porches.

Before we had no accountability on any of these programs,

we now are requiring accountability.

The blue states are suing us.

They don't want to share the data.

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.

Good Friday. Morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update.

And we've got a massive story for you.

You will not believe just how much fraud and abuse there is

with food stamps in this country or known as SNAP benefits.

And it's all been set up for there to be waste fraud and abuse

by the Democratic Party.

Why? Simply to buy votes.

So how easy is it to get food stamps?

Well, you can be a multi-millionaire.

Yeah, you can drive a Lamborghini or Ferrari.

And we've got the receipts.

It's the 47 Morning Update.

And it starts right now. Story number one.

When Donald Trump was elected, he promised he was going to root out

waste, fraud, and abuse.

We have learned just how corrupt our government actually is.

We've learned that Medicare and Medicaid, there's massive fraud.

Hospice care, massive fraud.

We have learned that it's in food stamps.

And now the foundation for government accountability

has exposed even more.

Explaining now that millionaires and lottery winners

are collecting food stamps.

You heard that right.

Under a massive, purposely created federal loophole,

it is now possible for millionaires and lottery winners

to get food stamps.

The best way you can describe this is it is fraud by design.

And this is not protecting the needy.

It is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions,

which then turns into billions of dollars.

And it's all called broad-based categorical eligibility.

That is how they have now turned this entire system

into a fraudulent system on purpose.

And when I say they, I'm talking exactly

about the Democratic Party.

I want you to listen carefully to how broad-based categorical

eligibility works, because it may sound boring,

but it's costing you countless tax dollars every single year.

Today, one in eight people are enrolled

in taxpayer-funded food stamps.

This program was designed to help the truly needy.

But thanks to a federal loophole known

as broad-based categorical eligibility or BBCE,

more than 40 states are exploiting the program,

giving food stamps to millionaires, lottery winners,

and millions of recipients with more than enough resources

to buy their own groceries.

In fact, millions of food stamp recipients

exceed the federal asset or income limits.

Roughly one in five of those enrollees

have $100,000 or more in assets.

This loophole is no accident, it's fraud by design.

Federal law requires states to check asset limits

for anyone applying for food stamps.

If your assets are too high, you don't qualify.

But here's where the BBCE work around comes in.

If someone is deemed eligible to receive

other welfare benefits, they automatically qualify

for food stamps.

And states have fully weaponized this loophole.

They created new types of welfare benefits,

like pamphlets, flyers, and hotlines,

not to provide aid, but to legally bypass income

and asset limits.

Let me just be clear about what you just heard.

States decided that there can be simple things

that you can be given, that then categorize

and qualify you as receiving government aid.

So if you received a pamphlet on good parenting,

single parenting, how to have a baby,

or to not have a baby, any government pamphlet

that they have deemed to be government aid,

then you at that exact moment are automatically eligible

for food stamps.

That's why there's so many recipients

through the BBCE requirements

that actually have no business receiving these SNAP benefits

because it's all about exposing and going around

the traditional rules.

They have wide discretion at a state level

on how to apply it.

And then they wanna make sure that as many people

in their state can get into these programs.

Most recipients, by the way, of food stamps are not wealthy,

but what we're witnessing is most are also not poor.

And many of these families can afford their own groceries,

but because they were given a pamphlet from the government,

that these state deems as you guessed it,

a state benefit or government benefit,

then automatically you are then eligible for food stamps.

Now, this is why there needs to be massive reform

because if you win the lottery

or you're a multi-millionaire,

my tax towers should not be paying for your groceries.

Keep listening.

As long as someone qualifies to receive a pamphlet,

they are categorically eligible for food stamps.

It's really that easy.

This is fraud and mismanagement at the highest level.

And the consequence is that it drives up the cost

for taxpayers and threatened benefits for the truly needy.

It's time for states to close the BBC e-group hole.

Learn more at thefga.org.

Now, this was one of the most powerful one-minute

in 42nd videos I've ever seen

because not only does it explain exactly what's happening here,

but now you understand why you and I should be paying attention

to this.

So let's move to what we now know.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

that's known as SNAP is now being reported

that it is experiencing the highest levels of fraud and theft

the system has ever seen.

Estimates are now suggesting that there are losses up to,

okay, this is the, this is the guesstimates,

the estimates that there are now losses of your tax dollars

that are being gone through fraud and abuse and theft

of more than $20 billion annually.

That is prompting increased federal, state,

and law enforcement action by the Trump administration,

something that they promised.

Now, the key aspects of the current SNAP abuse they're saying

is number one, massive EBT theft skimming.

What does that mean?

Criminal organizations are heavily targeting

beneficiaries by using illegal skimming devices

to then clone EBT cards.

That results in hundreds of millions in stolen benefits

each and every year.

Then there is trafficking.

What is trafficking?

It's the illegal sale of your SNAP benefits for cash.

It's become a significant issue.

Many times you'll get $100, for example,

a food stamps right on your SNAP card

and somebody will buy those from you for $30, $40, $50,

whatever the market rate is that day in the black market.

There's also improper payments.

The program is seeing what they describe

as a massive increase in improper payments.

With a 12% rate reported in the fiscal year 2024,

that is often they say due to administrative errors

or failure to verify data.

Then you have the fraudulent activity types.

Investigations are uncovering individuals collecting benefits

in not one state, but in multiple states simultaneously.

Using the identities of deceased individuals

and misrepresenting their household income

as well.

There's also what we've now learned today,

a new aspect to this and it's costing you

also millions of dollars.

There's international crime involvement.

Investigations are now exposing

that international criminal organizations

are involved in stealing benefits to fund

other illicit activities.

And then there's another type of fraud

that apparently is massive, that no one has been policing.

And that is retail fraud.

Some retailers have been implicated in now schemes

where they exchange snap benefits for cash,

with some cases involving hundreds of thousands of dollars

at a single location.

Now the USDA's Food and Nutrition Services

is now working, they say, to replace stolen benefits

and also improve EBT card security,

including moving towards chip technology

that we're currently not using.

We also know at the Office of Inspector General

and the Secret Service are conducting targeted operations.

They say to combat EBT fraud, but that is not enough,

which brings us back to the woman who's in charge

of all of this.

Secretary Brooke Rollins said in just one state,

there were 14,000 individuals,

and this was a Republican state

that was receiving snap benefits.

And the people that were receiving them

were driving luxury vehicles.

What types?

Ferraris, Bentley's, Lamborghini's, Maserati's,

more than 140 Porsche's, more than 244 Alfa Romeo's,

more than 306 Land Rovers.

And where are the fraudsters coming from the most?

They're a bunch of low-climbers.

They've drive more than 2,090 Teslas.

Here's part of what she had to say about the fraud

and just how bad it's gotten.

She was sharing previously, no data was shared.

We had no idea where the taxpayer, dollars were spent,

just one red state, the recent dump of data.

We found snap recipients had more than 2,000 Tesla owners,

200 Alfa Romeo owners, more than 144

that were receiving food stamps were driving Porsche's.

Again, this is the data dumps we're getting

because before we had no accountability

on any of these programs, we now are requiring accountability.

The blue states are suing us.

They don't want to share the data.

And can you imagine this was a red state

where there is actually some taxpayer accountability?

Imagine what's happening in the blue states

if that's happening in the red state.

I go back over those numbers.

In a conservative state, you had 14,000 individuals

receiving snap benefits that were driving

luxury vehicles.

Three were driving Bentley's, four Ferrari's,

11 Lamborghini's, 59 Maserati's, 141 Porsche's,

244 Alfa Romeo's, 306 Land Rovers

and over 2,000 Teslas.

These individuals, by the way, know what they're doing.

They're taking advantage of you and I, the American taxpayer.

And now what we're seeing is offense.

Not only is Brooke Rawlings working together

with the VP, the vice president who's in charge

of this task force to eliminate fraud,

but they now say that 4.3 million Americans

have been moved off of the snap benefits,

but they say unfortunately there's more work

that needs to be done.

Now let's just go back to that for a second.

4.3 million Americans have been moved off of food stamps.

That's how much fraud they were able to find quickly

and easily.

Now we're moving, she put out an statement,

the new Food and Nutrition Administration out of DC

and into the heartland where it belongs.

That also could change the leadership getting rid

of the woke ideology in Washington DC.

They say they're shifting staff close to those they support

and making us more efficient and responsive

to the millions of families that are touched

by the USDA's nutrition programs.

They say it's gonna deliver faster and better service

for families who need nutrition assistants

and stronger support for American farmers

who grow the food for their tables.

Saying quote, we are laser focused

on serving the American people with greater efficiency

and this reorganization will do just that.

That is great news.

As there's another headline that says USDA

announces the Food and Nutrition Administration

formally the Food Nutrition Services and actions

will be moved to better serve the states.

That is what should be happening each and every day.

Now let's go back to the fraud for just a moment.

The USDA's Food and Nutrition Services,

they say this is costing you

and this is what they're admitting to, billions of dollars.

Why?

It's pretty simple because Democrats have decided

that it's the best thing they can do

is bribe voters to vote for them

by allowing them to take these fraudulent benefits.

So if we know that's what the left is doing

and they're handing out these benefits to buy votes

then this issue is front and center

right now going into the midterms.

Congress, the good news is is doing something about it.

They're debating massive snap reforms.

New laws that would tighten work requirements nationwide.

Lawmakers also looking for cost savings and fraud reduction

and they're going after the BBCE

because the single biggest lever to shrink snap enrollment

would be getting rid of that massive loophole.

Were you getting quote government aid?

Yes, a pamphlet on anything from the state government

automatically qualifies you for food stamps.

Now Republicans are saying it's time to reform.

You got to get rid of the loophole.

It enables waste, it enables fraud

and it is enabling exactly what Donald Trump said

we must stop.

They want to reinstate the asset tests.

Lower income thresholds are what matter.

They want to tighten eligibility.

Democrats of course are saying no.

They believe that this is a lifeline to buying votes.

They say if you push millions off of food stamps

that could be millions of their voters that would disappear.

Now of course they're going to play the emotional game.

They're going to say that Republicans

are trying to star people, especially children

and any form of like reform that means cuts.

Democrats are going to use to their advantage.

Get ready for it, it's going to happen.

So as we move forward, I wanted you to know about this program.

I wanted you to understand the loophole

and I wanted you to understand why

this is so important going into the midterms.

For the President of the United States Americans say,

hey, you shouldn't get food stamps

just because you got a government pamphlet

or you even got a hotline number in some states.

Yes, even getting a phone number of a government agency

is considered government assistance.

That should not make you eligible for food stamps period

and the reason why 46 states are doing this

is because they're all trying to get their piece of the pie.

They're trying to get some of their money

as fast as they can from the federal government

and they don't even care if it's going out

for waste fraud and abuse.

Now luckily the President has a chance to fix this

and Republicans better do their job

and that's exactly why I hope you'll take everything

I just gave you and share it wherever you can

around the country.

Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update

with Ben Ferguson.

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and we will see you back here tomorrow.