Those who claim the federal government can't balance its budget should take a look at stories like these.
According to a new report, the federal food stamp program may be defrauding taxpayers as much as $4.7 billion every year.
Watchdog.org reports:
According to a new report produced by the Government and Accountability Office (GAO), at least $1 billion in food stamp benefits are “trafficked annually,” meaning they are fraudulently used. The extent of the fraud is uncertain, the GAO warns, estimating the abuse of the program could be as high as $4.7 billion.
About 20 million lower-income households receive benefits from the $64 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, to buy food. But GAO found that instead of being used for food, many stores are defrauding the program by "selling" cash instead of food.
“For example, a store might give a person $50 in exchange for $100 in benefits – then pocket the difference,” GAO explains.
This is absolutely unacceptable. That money should be going towards useful things like protecting our national security or decreasing the deficit.
Instead, Congress will continue to allow these and other federal programs to waste taxpayer money and sink our nation even further into debt.
It's time for the people and the states to step in. An Article V Convention of States can propose constitutional amendments that force the feds to be fiscally responsible.
These amendments can require a balanced budget and cap spending, two policies that would compel our elected officials to finally provide real oversight of programs like these.
The national debt just topped $22 trillion with no signs of slowing down. It's time to secure the futures of our children and grandchildren before it's too late.
