A no-brainer to protect food stamps

SNAP and food assistance programs are under assault from every angle. Last year, Trump, with the help of Republicans in Congress, defunded SNAP and forced millions of Americans to go without the food assistance they rely on.

Thankfully, that funding has been restored, for now. But there's another threat looming over SNAP that too often gets ignored.

It's a little-known practice called "SNAP skimming," in which hackers and thieves target electronic SNAP cards to steal benefits. For years, I've been pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement bare minimum cybersecurity standards for SNAP cards, just like credit cards have.

And earlier this month, I introduced a bipartisan bill to do just that.

This is a no-brainer solution to protect this critical lifeline.Families relying on food assistance are already walking an economic tightrope. The last thing they should have to worry about is having their food assistance stolen.

Republicans talk a big game about rooting out waste and fraud, and this is a perfect example of an issue that should be bipartisan.

A recent report issued by the USDA itself estimates that over $555 million in SNAP benefits could be stolen in the coming years if more isn't done to enhance their cybersecurity.

My legislation would put a stop to hackers and thieves ripping off the most vulnerable and American taxpayers.

So I'm doing all I can to protect SNAP and those on it from further damage. That's one of the reasons I'm introducing legislation to crack down on SNAP card skimming.

Cybersecurity shouldn't depend on income or zip code. It's time to overhaul this two-tier system that leaves families in need even more vulnerable with outdated technology.

I'm all in to get this done.

Onward,

Ron