3 chapters across the catalog
The USDA reported significant fraud in the SNAP (food stamp) program, including 186,000 instances of dead people's identities being used and 500,000 people receiving duplicate benefits. While 29 states have agreed to share data with the federal government to root out fraud, 21 blue states, including California and New York, have refused. The federal government plans to halt funds to non-compliant states starting next week.
A 2013 undercover operation in Manatee County, Florida, resulted in 40 arrests for EBT card fraud. A restaurant owner was caught purchasing cards for 50 cents on the dollar to stock his business. The discussion suggests that such fraud is widespread and may contribute to artificially inflated food prices at big-box retailers.
The debate over food stamp (SNAP) fraud is addressed, with the hosts arguing that the government should focus on enforcement rather than cutting benefits for the needy. They contrast the "petty" fraud of the poor with the systemic fraud of Wall Street. The segment also reflects on how the Occupy Wall Street movement was ignored by mainstream media until it could be co-opted and ridiculed.
