Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Todd Blanche say the administration has uncovered millions of dollars in fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. Vance made the announcement in Cincinnati Wednesday where he traveled to campaign for fellow Republicans from his home state.
Vance and Blanche say federal investigators have turned up $42 million in SNAP-associated fraud since launching a surge on Sept. 1. The attorney general says there are multiple ways scammers are stealing benefits from SNAP recipients.
"It comes from these criminals actually stealing the money off the cards that are used to purchase food by our most needed (sic) in the country. It comes from just outright theft and taking money from the people that are supposed to be receiving these efforts," Blanche said.
Blanche says more than 40 alleged fraudsters have been indicted in 13 federal districts, and more investigations are continuing.
"To present that card, to expect to be able to take that food home to your family, to be able to cook it and provide a meal for your kids, and to be told because of the work of a fraudster, because of the theft of a fraudster, that you are being rejected," Vance said. "It is despicable."
NPR reported last week on how efforts to make SNAP cards more secure are being undercut by federal budget cuts.
The attack ad on Dr. Amy Acton
During a Q&A session after the fraud announcement, Vance was asked about Gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's controversial campaign ad featuring his opponent's mother.
The attack ad from Ramaswamy's campaign featured Dr. Amy Acton's estranged mother calling her daughter a liar for accusing her step father of childhood sexual assault.
The controversial ad received swift criticism.
The vice president, however, said Republicans should focus on winning rather than choosing a side about on a commercial.
"I'll be honest with you, whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern. What is my concern is who is going to govern the next generation of American government. Who is going to win the Senate race in the state of Ohio? Who's going to win the governor's race in the state of Ohio?
"And I got to be honest that when I see Republicans, people in my party reacting so strongly, especially elected officials... Look, have the opinion you want to have on that ad. If you think it was too tough, say it was too tough. If you think it wasn't tough enough, say that. But I have to admit that I'm a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America."
Vance added "politics is a tough business."
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