this post was submitted on 06 May 2026
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The US Department of Agriculture has spent the past week notifying people that the country is (allegedly) overrun by individuals who are fraudulently claiming SNAP benefits, while (allegedly) driving luxury vehicles.

“In just ONE state, 14,000 individuals receiving SNAP benefits were driving LUXURY VEHICLES!” Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins posted on X last week. The official USDA account made similar claims, which were then amplified by figures like Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Rand Paul.

Those numbers are questionable at best. For one thing, the report they come from doesn’t name the state where thousands of people are allegedly buying Ferraris while using government money to buy food. For another, that report doesn’t include any explanation of its methodology.

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[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 167 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (5 children)

I'd rather a hundred people get benefits they "don't need" than have one person go without the support they require.

Not that it's even happening, but even if it were I really wouldn't care even a little bit. And furthermore, food stamp benefits are pathetic in the US.

[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 5 points 9 hours ago

Yeah, nobody commits that level of petty fraud if their life is going well.

If you want food stamps badly enough to jump through the hoops required, then that should qualify you by default.

[–] dalekcaan@feddit.nl 38 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

I remember some Republican chud or another saying they'd rather have innocent people imprisoned than let a single criminal walk free. Absolutely cannot fathom that mindset. Completely ghoulish.

[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 2 points 9 hours ago

What they mean is innocent people who don't look like them. The moment there'd be any danger of them being locked up, they'd fine-tune their opinion to find a reason why it doesn't apply to their case.

[–] Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works 17 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I mean i can imagine it, it's just patently anti-American. Benjamin Franklin is widely quoted as saying "I'd rather let 100 guilty persons go, than imprison one innocent person."

[–] grue@lemmy.world 16 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

No, that was William Blackstone. Maybe Ben Franklin also quoted it, but he's not the one who was famous for it.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I feel like if someone quotes another person and then that quote becomes associated with them more thoroughly it would count as famously said. Doesn't stop the first person from being a thing just a matter of having less fame or relevance.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

In principle, maybe, but I'm fairly well-read and I have literally never heard of that quote being attributed to Ben Franklin until the earlier comment so I don't think that's the case here.

[–] Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 10 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Guess who said they're fine having legal Hispanic citizens abducted from their homes and thrown in ~~SS~~ ICE camps if it means they're actually getting some illegal immigrants

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 7 hours ago

concentration camps.

[–] Draegur@lemmy.zip 21 points 17 hours ago

They honestly waste more resources on gatekeeping and means testing than they would ever save, and it'd LITERALLY cost less to just provide the same baseline benefits to everyone

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 9 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, why aren't we talking about all the fraud committed by billionaire oligarchs and trump and his inner circle?

[–] veni_vedi_veni@lemmy.world 3 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

When you influence or you are the people who write the rules, is not fraud, it's smart investing

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 9 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Like maybe 25 years back I remember a viral video of someone in Cali or something buying a lobster with his food stamps and everyone was freaking out. I dont know much of the american food stamps system but I'm pretty sure just blew his budget or something. Really its just proved some idiot was doing dumb stuff for likes before TikTok.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 8 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Generally, any food product is going to be eligible. They give you a bank card that has your monthly funds on it. Prepared products such as from the delicatessen, alcohol, and cigarettes will be blocked but there's not much else to stop someone from letting their benefits add up and then wasting them on something like lobster.

You don't want to make this entire thing onerous for everyone, so there will be some activity like this occassionally. It's not even something that would appear outside the statistical noise.

[–] Tower@lemmy.zip 15 points 17 hours ago (4 children)

I was on SNAP several years ago. We saved a small bit of the relatively meager amount every month for like 6 months, then had a really nice BBQ for my kids bday. In a vacuum, I'm sure someone would have lost their shit watching me spend like $150 on steaks and burgers and sides using my SNAP card.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Fuck it. I'd rather give free meals to everyone than pay one fucking penny towards the missiles we hurled into an elementary school. People gotta get their fucking priorities straight.

Enjoy that BBQ, I hope you have long lasting happy and guilt-free memories about that day. Money well spent in my mind.

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 2 points 6 hours ago

I think its really cool it rolls over like that. My old boss losses his crap if he sees the old save on food to splurge later. "If the peasants can survive on less than they should" mentality. Bloke also said ppl should feel more shame on the system and the cards was bypassing that shame. Can really feel the privilege from that guy. Ugh

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 4 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

My ex and I were on food stamps at one point so I hope that my message didn’t come across as spam on those who use them. I was trying to explain to who I thought was a non US person who was not familiar with how it works.

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 2 points 6 hours ago

Yeah thats really what I wanted know. Cheers.

[–] Tower@lemmy.zip 4 points 13 hours ago

Oh, no, I didn't think that at all! I was just adding my own story to the mix.

[–] CentipedeFarrier@piefed.social 6 points 16 hours ago

The only reason thats any different than just saving your own regular money for it and blowing that on the exact same thing is the optics.

Like if you get the bennies, its not like people know that every single time you buy stuff, only when you use that specific payment method