SNAP Anti-Theft and Victim Compensation Act of 2025

This bill aims to protect SNAP families from EBT card theft and pay back victims. It gives the USDA’s Inspector General more power to investigate scams like skimming, cloning, phishing, spoofing, and other hacks into EBT systems. The Inspector General can issue subpoenas and warrants, work with federal, state, and local law enforcement and banks, request data from state EBT processors, and join cyber task forces. The USDA can set rules and fund these efforts.

States are allowed to reimburse households when SNAP benefits are stolen through no fault of the family. Getting repaid won’t cut into the family’s monthly SNAP amount or hurt eligibility. USDA will give states technical help, keep a national database of theft reports, require states to report yearly on theft and repayments, write the needed rules, and later review this authority once all states move to more secure payment tech. The bill also adds fines for thieves equal to twice the value of the stolen benefits, with recovered money used to help cover victim repayments and investigation costs; these fines are on top of any other penalties under the law.

Key points

• Who is affected: SNAP households, state SNAP agencies, and anyone who steals or misuses SNAP benefits.
• What changes: Stronger federal investigations and data-sharing; states can repay victims without reducing their monthly SNAP; new fines equal to twice the stolen amount; recovered funds help pay for repayments and investigations.
• When: USDA will issue guidance and rules; states must follow that guidance and report yearly; the USDA will review this authority after secure payment upgrades are in place nationwide.