Little Apple Times

U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann (KS-01) and Ron Estes (KS-04) have sent a letter to Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, urging her administration to address issues with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the state. According to recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kansas’ SNAP error rate is nearly ten percent, which has resulted in millions of taxpayer dollars being incorrectly distributed to individuals who are not eligible for the program.

"Kansans work hard for every dollar they earn, and they expect their government to be a good steward of their tax dollars,” said Rep Mann. “Rather than working with the federal government to correct Kansas’ high SNAP error rate, Governor Kelly’s administration has refused to comply or even attempt to restore integrity in how our state tax dollars are spent in the program. Every instance of fraud or overpayment through the SNAP program is money taken from vulnerable families in our state who rely on this assistance to meet their nutritional needs. Kansans deserve a system that protects taxpayer dollars and serves the people it was designed to help."

“By refusing to correct the SNAP error rate in Kansas, Governor Kelly has allowed millions of Kansas taxpayer dollars to be incorrectly sent to fraudsters, negatively impacting Kansans who rely on the program,” said Rep. Estes. “Today we are demanding Governor Kelly work with the USDA to strengthen the SNAP program in Kansas and correct the waste of our constituents’ hard-earned dollars.”

Tracey Mann has represented Kansas’s 1st District in Congress since 2021, succeeding Roger Marshall. He was born in Quinter, Kansas in 1976 and currently lives in Salina. Mann graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2000.

The full letter from Reps. Mann and Estes can be found online.