Brooke Rollins would ‘welcome’ DOGE audit of SNAP and other programs – Washington Examiner
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has proposed involving Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a review of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to improve its efficiency. SNAP, originally established to assist low-income individuals in affording nutritious food, has faced criticism for its management and effectiveness. During her confirmation hearing, Rollins suggested adding work requirements to the program, indicating that SNAP has expanded beyond its original goals.
In a recent interview, rollins expressed openness to DOGE’s involvement in examining SNAP and emphasized the need for a business viewpoint to assess the program’s success metrics. She noted concerns about whether taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently, especially in relation to the nutritional value of food provided through SNAP. Rollins assured that the administration would not compromise assistance to those in need while addressing systemic issues in the program.
Federal benefits programs, including SNAP, are currently under scrutiny as Musk supports Trump’s efforts to streamline government spending. While the Trump administration aims to identify and eliminate waste in programs like Social Security,Rollins stated that any reforms would focus on preserving assistance for those who rely on it.
Brooke Rollins would ‘welcome’ DOGE audit of SNAP and other benefits programs
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins suggested that Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency could be brought into the USDA to help improve the efficiency of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal benefits program that helps low-or-no-income individuals “maintain” or “supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being,” according to USDA.
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Rollins was confirmed with strong bipartisan support, but she did clash with Democrats during her confirmation hearing when repeatedly suggesting that SNAP and other food benefits programs could be run more effectively. She previously backed attaching work requirements to the benefits program.
Rollins told the Washington Examiner Friday at the White House that she “is not sure” if DOGE has plans to examine those programs but added that she “would welcome DOGE to be involved.”
“Anytime you could get a sort of a business perspective on ‘are we hitting our goals? What are the metrics? What is the metric for success?’ Oftentimes, these government programs are started with the idea that you’re going to help people. It’s not a handout, it’s a hand up,” she continued. “And then years later, the government — the programs are even bigger, and you’ve got more people on them.”
Rollins stressed that the administration “will never take food out of a hungry child’s mouth” but said that SNAP had grown beyond its original mission.
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“We really have to look at where that money is going, what it’s being spent on. I look forward to working with Bobby Kennedy as we figure out, do we have the healthiest choices? So when a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are they ok with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious,” Rollins closed. “These are all massive questions we’re going to be asking and working on in the coming months and years, and I look forward to solving some of these major, major issues for this country.”
Federal benefits programs have come under increased scrutiny as Musk pursues President Donald Trump’s quest to shrink the federal budget and bureaucracy.
Musk joined Trump in the Oval Office earlier this week, where he told reporters that DOGE had uncovered a breadth of allegedly fraudulent Social Security payments and suggested additional action could be taken. Trump promised on the campaign trail to “fight for” the program, including eliminating taxes on Social Security payments.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, a war is brewing within the Republican caucus regarding the president’s stalled tax agenda. As the price tag for renewing Trump’s 2017 tax cuts continues to grow, Republicans have gingerly begun looking at potential changes to Medicaid and other entitlements as potential budgetary offsets.
“We’re not going to do anything with that unless we can find some abuse or waste,” Trump recently said of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. “The people won’t be affected. It will only be more effective and better.”
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