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SNAP benefit thefts reached $470 million in 2025, ProPublica reports
ProPublica reports that magnetic-stripe EBT cards remain easy to skim, and Congress halted a chip-upgrade proposal citing budget constraints.
The short version
- ProPublica reports that $470 million was stolen electronically from SNAP beneficiaries in 2025, based on data from Propel.[ProPublica]
- More than 990,000 households that received food assistance last year had benefits stolen, according to the same Propel data.[ProPublica]
- EBT cards still use magnetic stripes that skimmers can easily read; House Agriculture Chairman Glenn Thompson halted a bipartisan chip proposal citing unspecified budget constraints, and unnamed staffers put its cost near $215 million.[ProPublica]
- A December 2024 spending deal to extend reimbursements for stolen benefits collapsed after Elon Musk attacked it and Trump sank it, according to ProPublica.[ProPublica]
Key facts
- In 2025, $470 million was stolen electronically from SNAP beneficiaries, according to data Propel supplied to ProPublica.[ProPublica]
- More than 990,000 households that received food assistance last year had SNAP benefits stolen.[ProPublica]
- Confirmed intentional program violations by SNAP recipients account for $64 million a year, about 0.08% of benefits issued, according to USDA 50-state reports.[ProPublica]
- EBT cards still rely on 1960s-era magnetic-stripe technology that skimmers can easily read, unlike most credit and debit cards.[ProPublica]
- House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson cited unspecified budgetary constraints when he halted a bipartisan proposal to upgrade EBT cards with chips.[ProPublica]
- Since late 2022, the federal government has replaced stolen SNAP funds, compensating 753,929 households.[ProPublica]
- A December 2024 bipartisan spending agreement to extend these reimbursements through 2028 collapsed after Elon Musk attacked it and Trump sank the deal.[ProPublica]
- More than half of the technical experts the agency hired to develop EBT card security guidance have been pushed out, according to the Government Accountability Office.[ProPublica]
What remains uncertain
- The Congressional Budget Office has not formally scored the chip proposal; the roughly $215 million cost comes from multiple unnamed Hill staffers.[ProPublica]
- About 40 states have likely missed their window for chip adoption unless Congress acts; this is ProPublica's estimate.[ProPublica]
- States are still awaiting USDA regulatory guidance on EBT card security that the USDA has said for nearly four years it plans to publish.[ProPublica]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.