Since its inception, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance or SNAP program -- commonly known as "food stamps" -- has all too often drifted from its original purpose. Instead of offering a temporary hand up, it has turned into a handout that threatens to trap Americans in a vicious cycle of government dependence.
From Day One, the Trump administration has been tirelessly fighting to reform this broke program so that it serves families who need it most, and our efforts are paying off.
SNAP is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and our new data show that the program has 3.3 million fewer participants today than it did when President Trump returned to office in January 2025. This also means that the number of SNAP recipients is now below 40 million for the first time since 2020.
Those aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are a signal that the federal government is once again working for the American public.
The drop in SNAP recipients affirms that many Americans are moving from welfare to work. It is no secret that Trump's massive tax cuts and deregulation efforts are unleashing robust, private sector-led economic growth, which are fueling trillions in investments and booming wage growth.
Since taking office, we have added more than 600,000 private sector jobs, with 100 percent of net job growth going to American-born workers. In 2026 alone, the economy has added 60,000 private sector jobs, and the unemployment rate remains low by historic standards at 4.4 percent. After decades of dependency, men and women are climbing the ladder of financial freedom and achieving the independence our Founding Fathers envisioned 250 years ago.
Next, the new SNAP data is a testament to our strong partnership with states across the nation that are committed to responsible governance.
On my very first day as secretary, I called on all 50 states -- the laboratories of innovation -- to pilot creative solutions that could help recalibrate our federal nutrition programs. Dozens have stepped up to the plate, either by requesting waivers allowing them to ban certain junk foods from the SNAP program or by sharing participant data that pull back the curtain on how taxpayer dollars are actually being spent.
The sad reality is that the program is rife with waste, fraud and abuse -- it has been for many years. While some states still refuse to share their program data -- what are they hiding? -- others have been more transparent. Thanks to the 28 states and one territory that complied with our request for data, we now know that 186,000 dead people were receiving benefits. There were 356,000 cases of duplicate enrollments. And according to the Office of the Inspector General, there have been nearly 700 arrests, more than 150 convictions, and $132 million in restitution since February 2025. In short, the program is broken -- but not beyond repair.
Just last month, Trump signed an executive order establishing a new task force dedicated to stamping out fraud in SNAP and other federal programs, effective immediately. Vice President JD Vance will lead the group, and I am eager to work with him to usher in a new era of accountability for taxpayers and for those who truly need this program to survive.
After all, in Scripture we read about our obligation to "the least of these," which is why SNAP will still be there for the most vulnerable.
At the same time, we also know there is great dignity in work, which also has Biblical foundations. Even before the fall, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it."
An emphasis on the value of labor is also distinctly American. Ours is a nation of pioneers who braved the frontier to forge civilization out of wilderness. Today's American worker is an inheritor of that great tradition.
As more Americans embrace that inheritance and leave federal welfare behind, as states both red and blue continue to enhance transparency and partner with us to repair a broken program, and as we stamp out waste, fraud and abuse at every turn, it's only natural that millions fewer are dependent on SNAP one year into this administration.
More than that, it's an encouraging sign that we are not just moving the needle -- we are radically transforming government so that it serves the public better than ever before.
Brooke L. Rollins is the 33rd U.S. secretary of Agriculture.