Republican-led Ohio and Georgia are challenging the Trump administration's fraud crackdown in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
The states argue the USDA inspector general's methodology is fundamentally flawed, Politico reports.
Ohio initially faced $59.7 million in flagged potential fraud; after disputing findings, that figure dropped to $13.3 million, with state officials contesting even that, claiming 93 percent of original claims were routine administrative matters rather than fraud.
Georgia's case was more dramatic: an initial $300 million fraud estimate was reduced by approximately 95 percent after the state challenged underlying data.
Former USDA officials say the pattern reveals legitimate payments and clerical errors mischaracterized as fraud.
“It concerns me when they’re potentially inflating the findings and undermining public trust in the programs,” said Stacy Dean, the former deputy undersecretary of USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services division.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has publicly claimed "significant fraud" in SNAP, including unverified assertions about beneficiaries driving luxury cars.
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