The Agriculture Department is one of 16 federal departments and agencies that reported improper payments totaling $162 billion in fiscal 2024, including $10.5 billion in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program run by USDA, according to the Government Accountability Office.
The GAO report comes as the Department of Government Efficiency initiative is trying to put a focus on what the Trump administration calls waste, fraud and abuse in government spending.
The vast majority of improper payments are overpayments but also include instances when recipients don’t receive the full amount they are due.
Some 75% of improper payments for FY24 were in SNAP and four other programs: Medicare, Medicaid, the earned income tax credit and a restaurant revitalization fund, according to a GAO compilation of agency reports.
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GAO also found significant improper payment rates in farm programs. Some 45.2% of payments in the Emergency Conservation Program in FY24 were considered improper as well as 12.8% of payments through the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs.
The improper payment rate for SNAP was 11.7%.
Some 11.6% of payments under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program were judged improper.
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