Bill Would Make Food Stamp Recipients Show Photo ID

A group of House conservatives have introduced legislation to require that people using food stamps show a photo ID whenever using them.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), would “amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require households that receive supplemental nutrition assistance benefits to present photographic verification at the time food is purchased with such benefits.”

In the recently passed farm bill, the SNAP program was reauthorized at $80 billion per year.

A recent Government Accountability Office report detailed fraud in the system to the tune of $2.2 billion paid in error during  2009 alone.

“The SNAP program exists to temporarily help Americans who have fallen on hard times; it is the duty of our elected officials to protect the integrity of this program and discourage abuse from those who seek to game the system,” Salmon said. “My bill simply requires the photo identification of authorized users of SNAP electronic benefit cards at the point of transaction.”

Currently, food stamp recipients only have to show ID when they sign up for the program.

“With over $750 million in SNAP card and food trafficking fraud each year, it is time Congress take action to address the rampant waste in this program,” Salmon said.

Co-sponsoring the bill are GOP Reps. Bill Posey (Fla.), John Fleming (La.), Jack Kingston (Ga.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.),  Jeff Fortenberry (Neb.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Ron DeSantis (Fla.), David Schweikert (Ariz.), Trent Franks (Ariz.), Jason Smith (Mo.), and Phil Gingrey (Ga.).