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Articles by Eli Hager
After millions in stolen SNAP benefits, Trump administration moves to fight theft
By Eli Hager, ProPublica, https://www.propublica.org This story was originally published by ProPublica. The Trump administration has announced an overhaul of the nation’s food stamp payment system, aimed at modernizing benefit cards to protect families from electronic theft.
After Millions in Stolen SNAP Benefits, Trump Administration Moves to Fight Theft
The Trump administration this week announced an overhaul of the nation’s food stamp payment system, aimed at modernizing benefit cards to protect families from electronic theft. The move comes a week after ProPublica published an investigation showing how $470 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits were stolen from recipients last year alone, in large part because these cards are technologically outdated.
Scammers are stealing millions from food stamp recipients. Congress could fix it – but won’t.
20th October 2026 · 0 Comments By Eli Hager ProPublica It wasn’t the kind of call a grocery store gets every day. A customer with a thick Eastern European accent was on the phone saying he wanted to buy several thousand cans of Red Bull. Could the store have them in stock in a few days? Also, did they have equipment to move all those stacks of energy drinks into the parking lot, where two minivans would be waiting?
Scammers Steal SNAP Benefits With Skimmers, but Congress Won’t Act
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Lamborghinis and Food Stamps? Trump officials claim many SNAP recipients are scammers, even as statistics show they’re far more likely to be victims. Romanian Organized Crime: Transnational gangs, who once got rich siphoning funds from credit and debit cards, have now turned to pillaging SNAP benefits. The Chip Solution: Most SNAP theft could be blocked by adding microchips to outdated magnetic-stripe cards, but Congress won’t fund the move.
Scammers Steal SNAP Benefits With Skimmers, but Congress Won’t Act
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Lamborghinis and Food Stamps? Trump officials claim many SNAP recipients are scammers, even as statistics show they’re far more likely to be victims. Romanian Organized Crime: Transnational gangs, who once got rich siphoning funds from credit and debit cards, have now turned to pillaging SNAP benefits. The Chip Solution: Most SNAP theft could be blocked by adding microchips to outdated magnetic-stripe cards, but Congress won’t fund the move.
Scammers Steal SNAP Benefits With Skimmers, but Congress Won’t Act
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Lamborghinis and Food Stamps? Trump officials claim many SNAP recipients are scammers, even as statistics show they’re far more likely to be victims. Romanian Organized Crime: Transnational gangs, who once got rich siphoning funds from credit and debit cards, have now turned to pillaging SNAP benefits. The Chip Solution: Most SNAP theft could be blocked by adding microchips to outdated magnetic-stripe cards, but Congress won’t fund the move.
Fraud-prevention work stalled at USDA amid staffing cuts and funding disputes
It wasn’t the kind of call a grocery store gets every day. A customer with a thick Eastern European accent was on the phone saying he wanted to buy several thousand cans of Red Bull. Could the store have them in stock in a few days? Also, did they have equipment to move all those stacks of energy drinks into the parking lot, where two minivans would be waiting? When the day came, Oct.
Scammers Are Stealing Millions From Food Stamp Recipients. Congress Could Fix It — but Won’t.
Reporting Highlights Lamborghinis and Food Stamps? Trump officials claim many SNAP recipients are scammers, even as statistics show they’re far more likely to be victims. Romanian Organized Crime: Transnational gangs, who once got rich siphoning funds from credit and debit cards, have now turned to pillaging SNAP benefits. The Chip Solution: Most SNAP theft could be blocked by adding microchips to outdated magnetic-stripe cards, but Congress won’t fund the move.
Scammers Are Stealing Millions From Food Stamp Recipients. Congress Could Fix It — but Won’t.
American Whiskey 12 hours ago 14 Bourbons That Rival Pappy Van Winkle And Spare Your Wallet Tasting Table - Kenny Jarvis • 12h Bottles of Pappy Van Winkle often equally delight and frustrate bourbon enthusiasts. They are delightful whenever you get the chance to taste a … Exercise 15 hours ago These 5 Exercises Undo 10 Years of Sitting, Physical Therapists Say Parade Magazine - By Beth Ann Mayer • 15h Bring back a decade of life to your limbs. Back in the day, if we didn’t move, we didn’t survive.
Do You Administer SNAP or Medicaid Benefits? Help ProPublica Report on America’s Safety Net.
ProPublica is digging into pressing issues affecting millions who rely on America’s safety net programs — from longstanding concerns like electronic benefit transfer theft to changes in federal SNAP and Medicaid policies. We want to hear from officials and workers on the ground who help people navigate these programs, because no one knows the ins and outs of the safety net better.
Have Your SNAP Benefits Ever Been Stolen? Help ProPublica Investigate.
Have you ever tried to use your electronic benefit transfer card to pay for groceries only to find that your SNAP benefits were gone? You may have been the victim of EBT theft. EBT theft happens when someone is able to get information off your EBT card in order to steal your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. You may not have immediately realized you were stolen from, only that there were less funds in your account than there should’ve been.
Disabled Adults Living with Families Targeted by Trump Administration
Even a glance at Shy’tyra Burton’s life reveals her need for the sort of federal government assistance that helps disabled Americans stay in their homes. Born two months prematurely into a poor family in Philadelphia, unable to breathe or swallow without tubes and largely confined to medical facilities until age 4, Burton was diagnosed with a litany of developmental and intellectual disabilities that left her with an IQ below 70.
The Trump administration aims to penalize disabled adults who live with their families
A planned Trump administration regulation will penalize disabled young adults like Shy’tyra Burton, pictured with her father, Rondell, if they live with their parents. - Caroline Gutman for ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive its biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
The Trump Administration Aims to Penalize Disabled Adults Who Live With Their Families
Even a glance at Shy’tyra Burton’s life reveals her need for the sort of federal government assistance that helps disabled Americans stay in their homes. Born two months prematurely into a poor family in Philadelphia, unable to breathe or swallow without tubes and largely confined to medical facilities until age 4, Burton was diagnosed with a litany of developmental and intellectual disabilities that left her with an IQ below 70.
The Trump Administration Aims to Penalize Disabled Adults Who Live With Their Families
5 days ago The IRS saw a 27% reduction in total staffing between January and December 2025, falling from about 102,000 to 74,000 employees. The latest IRS budget proposal would eliminate another 4,000 positions, bringing IRS staffing to its lowest level in the modern era. A Smaller Budget Under the Trump …
DHS Seeks Access to Massive Employment, Salary and Family Database Legally Restricted to Use in Child Support Cases
The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement arm is requesting unfettered access to what is considered to be the most comprehensive government database of people in the United States and their most private information, including sensitive details about individual children, according to six current and former federal officials. It is called the Federal Parent Locator Service, and it’s meant for finding people who owe child support.
DHS Seeks Access to Massive Employment, Salary and Family Database Legally Restricted to Use in Child Support Cases
5 hours ago The South Carolina senator seemed to have forgotten a key achievement that President Donald Trump claimed last summer. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday made a bold prediction about President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, but critics say it had a glaring flaw. Graham, who has been one of the …
The Trump Administration Is Trying to Target Immigrants Over Family Court Cases
Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size. This story was originally published by ProPublica.ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Should a person be deported because once, a decade and a half ago, they left their toddlers home alone for a half hour to buy them pajamas at Walmart?
Fateful decision 15 years ago in Oregon could have implications for immigrants nationwide
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Should a person be deported because once, a decade and a half ago, they left their toddlers home alone for a half hour to buy them pajamas at Walmart? That’s what the Trump administration is arguing in a little-noticed federal appeals court case being decided in California, with sweeping implications for both the immigration and child welfare systems. A ruling is expected in the coming months.
The Most-Read ProPublica Stories of 2025
When President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, ProPublica’s reporters set out to cover how his second administration would reshape the government and the country. Our reporters detailed what happened when the Department of Government Efficiency, initially led by Elon Musk, slashed federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Social Security Administration.
Trump SNAP and Medicaid Crisis Will Hit Hardest States That Cut Their Own Taxes
Honest, paywall-free news is rare. Please support our boldly independent journalism with a donation of any size. This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. This fall, Americans got to see what it’s like to go without a safety net for the hungry.
Wave of Tax Cuts Has Left Many States Vulnerable to Trump SNAP and Medicaid Crisis
This fall, Americans got to see what it’s like to go without a safety net for the hungry. With the U.S. government shut down for multiple weeks and President Donald Trump refusing to fund SNAP, the federal food stamp program, a panic set in among the more than 40 million people who rely on it. Families skipped meals, and babies went unfed. Food banks ran out of food, and some people turned to dumpster diving. It was just a glimpse of what’s to come.
How the Trump Administration Abandoned Plans for a Major Cut in Disability Benefits for Older Workers
On Nov. 13, a small team of advocates for people with disabilities stepped through White House security and into the narrow, bustling corridors of the West Wing, unsure what to expect. They’d managed to get a short meeting with James Blair, who is one of President Donald Trump’s deputy chiefs of staff, in the hopes of preventing a planned policy change.
How Trump abandoned plans for a massive cut in disability benefits for older workers
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How Trump abandoned plans for a massive cut in disability benefits for older workers
On Nov. 13, a small team of advocates for people with disabilities stepped through White House security and into the narrow, bustling corridors of the West Wing, unsure what to expect. They’d managed to get a short meeting with James Blair, who is one of President Donald Trump’s deputy chiefs of staff, in the hopes of preventing a planned policy change.
How the Trump Administration Abandoned Plans for a Major Cut in Disability Benefits for Older Workers
On Nov. 13, a small team of advocates for people with disabilities stepped through White House security and into the narrow, bustling corridors of the West Wing, unsure what to expect. They’d managed to get a short meeting with James Blair, who is one of President Donald Trump’s deputy chiefs of staff, in the hopes of preventing a planned policy change.
Red state workers could lose disability benefits as Trump administration rewrites rules
Christopher Tincher, who first applied for Social Security disability benefits in 2017, applied again this year and now receives about $1,500 a month. (Photo by Kevin Wurm for ProPublica) It’s never been easy to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Christopher Tincher knows this firsthand. Tincher began his working life in a coal mine in Aflex, Kentucky, as a teenager in the 1980s.
Red state workers could lose out on disability benefits as Trump administration rewrites eligibility rules
By Eli Hager, ProPublica, https://www.propublica.org This story was originally published by ProPublica. It’s never been easy to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Christopher Tincher knows this firsthand. Tincher began his working life in a coal mine in Aflex, Kentucky, as a teenager in the 1980s. As mines across the region shuttered, he turned to scraping grills at a Hardee’s, then cleaning office buildings at night, then stocking shelves and changing tires at a Walmart in Arkansas.
Disabled miners, other injured workers stand to lose disability pay under new eligibility rules
It’s never been easy to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Christopher Tincher knows this firsthand. Tincher began his working life in a coal mine in Aflex, Kentucky, as a teenager in the 1980s. As mines across the region shuttered, he turned to scraping grills at a Hardee’s, then cleaning office buildings at night, then stocking shelves and changing tires at a Walmart in Arkansas. Later, he was hired by a nearby town’s wastewater department.
A Florida Home Insurer Was Allowed to Bypass the Courts During Claim Disputes. It Won More Than 90% of the Time.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. In a moment of peril, Florida lawmakers allowed its insurer of last resort to take disputes before judges whose salaries it funds. Citizens has taken more than 1,500 insurance disputes to mandatory arbitration, where it wins more than 90% of final hearings. In court it wins just over half the time.
The Untold Saga Of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Republished under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. On Feb. 10, on the third floor of the Social Security Administration’s Baltimore-area headquarters, Leland Dudek unfurled a 4-foot-wide roll of paper that extended to 20 feet in length. It was a visual guide that the agency had kept for years to explain Social Security’s many technological systems and processes.
Trump Wants to Crack Down on “Debanking,” but He’s Dismantling a Regulator That Was Doing Just That
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Last month, when President Donald Trump signed an executive order “guaranteeing fair banking for all Americans,” he served notice of a coming federal crackdown.
The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security
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The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security
This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. On Feb. 10, on the third floor of the Social Security Administration’s Baltimore-area headquarters, Leland Dudek unfurled a 4-foot-wide roll of paper that extended to 20 feet in length.
What really happened when Trumpworld invaded Social Security
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The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security
The Next Phase in Trump’s War on Social Security: Chatbots Reporting from Kaiser Health News out this week demonstrates that the Trump administration continues to make it more difficult for people to access …
The Leader of Trump’s Assault on Higher Education Has a Troubled Legal and Financial History
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Civil rights attorney Leo Terrell, who leads Trump’s antisemitism task force, has had a legal career marred by client disputes and scathing judicial rebukes. Before his sudden MAGA conversion, Terrell was beset with financial problems.
A Texas County Cuts Over 100 Polling Sites as Trump Attacks Mail-In Voting Nationally
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Officials in a large North Texas county decided this week to cut more than 100 Election Day polling sites and reduce the number of early voting locations, amid growing concern about GOP efforts to limit voting access ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism. Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. RFK Jr. promised to identify the causes of autism but has eliminated parts of his agency actively investigating them and has cut millions in funding for autism research. Once an ardent environmentalist who took on big polluters, RFK Jr. has been silent on Trump’s dismantling of efforts to combat climate change and pollution.
New York Bans Anonymous Calls to Child Abuse Hotline
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. The New York State Legislature this week passed a bill banning anonymous complaints to the state child abuse hotline. If Gov.
New York Bans Anonymous Calls to Child Abuse Hotline
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. The New York State Legislature this week passed a bill banning anonymous complaints to the state child abuse hotline. If Gov.
New York Bans Anonymous Child Welfare Reports
Letter to the editor: In support of Kyle Emily Erickson - The Ithaca Voice I have known Kyle Erickson for most of her life, and could not be more enthusiastic about her candidacy for the County Legislature. As a county …
Internal VA Emails Reveal How Trump Cuts Jeopardize Veterans’ Care, Including To “Life-Saving Cancer Trials”
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. If you’ve experienced setbacks in your care or benefits amid the changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs, ProPublica wants to hear from you. Share your story. Earlier this year, doctors at Veterans Affairs hospitals in Pennsylvania sounded an alarm.
The Trump Administration’s War on Children Original
This article was originally published in ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. The clear-cutting across the federal government under President Donald Trump has been dramatic, with mass terminations, the suspension of decades-old programs and the neutering of entire agencies.
Gun Owners Group Calls for Federal Inquiry Into Firearms Industry’s Secret Sharing of Customer Data
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. A group representing firearms owners has asked three federal agencies to investigate how the gun industry’s main lobbying group secretly used the intimate details of weapons buyers for political purposes.
The Trump Administration’s War On Children
The clear-cutting across the federal government under President Donald Trump has been dramatic, with mass terminations, the suspension of decades-old programs and the neutering of entire agencies. But this spectacle has obscured a series of moves by the administration that could profoundly harm some of the most vulnerable people in the U.S.: children.
Under the radar, Trump wages war on children
The clear-cutting across the federal government under President Donald Trump has been dramatic, with mass terminations, the suspension of decades-old programs and the neutering of entire agencies. But this spectacle has obscured a series of moves by the administration that could profoundly harm some of the most vulnerable people in the U.S.: children.
Labor Department Official Warns That Staff Who Speak With Journalists Face “Serious Legal Consequences”
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. A top official in the Department of Labor this week informed all staff members that they could face criminal charges if they speak to journalists, former employees or others about agency business.
How Kids Are Harmed by Trump’s Budget Cuts
The clear-cutting across the federal government under President Donald Trump has been dramatic, with mass terminations, the suspension of decades-old programs and the neutering of entire agencies. But this spectacle has obscured a series of moves by the administration that could profoundly harm some of the most vulnerable people in the U.S.: children.
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