Minnesota’s fraud scandal has made national headlines. It also has the attention of Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden. In an exclusive interview with the Red River Farm Network, Vaden said Minnesota is in a category by itself when it comes to fraud. “It’s so bad that you have state employees who are taking to X to point out that there is no one manning the ship there in Minnesota,” said Vaden. “Minnesota has, for reasons known only to itself, refused to turn over the SNAP participant data that 28 other states have voluntarily provided to the USDA, and with which we are working with those 28 cooperating states in order to identify fraud.” SNAP comes under the purview of USDA. The Agriculture Department is requiring Minnesota to go through a recertification process in four counties in the Twin City metro area to make sure all SNAP recipients meet all of the eligibility requirements. That includes in-person interviews that must be conducted within the next 30 days. In the interview with the Red River Farm Network, Vaden also addressed the Farmer Bridge Assistance program and the farm economy. Click here to listen to the full interview.
