The ongoing debate surrounding government spending has thrust the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) into the harsh light of public scrutiny, and conservative commentator Matt Walsh has put forward a bold and necessary proposal to address the rampant fraud and abuse within the system. While the liberal media and their allies in the Democratic Party will inevitably shriek and moan, Walsh’s suggestions highlight a fundamental truth that hardworking Americans understand: taxpayer-funded programs must be accountable to the taxpayers themselves.
Walsh correctly identified the core of the problem, stating, “The ongoing government shutdown has finally drawn attention to the scale of this fraud, and it is astronomical. It has exposed a vast network of criminal activity that needs to be shut down.” This is the direct result of the left’s open-border policies and their refusal to enforce the laws already on the books. As Walsh pointed out, “it’s illegal under federal law to provide financial assistant assistance to illegal aliens.” Yet, this is precisely what has been happening, with state officials complicit in funneling benefits to those who have broken our laws to enter the country, all while American citizens struggle with the inflation caused by this very administration’s reckless spending.
In a move that is both commonsense and long overdue, Walsh proposed concrete measures to restore integrity to the system. He argued, “And then once we’re done with that, we need drug testing and weight testing for anyone receiving SNAP. We need a system that does not subsidize the grocery bills of 45 million people for the indefinite future with no time limit or restriction.” The liberal media will immediately label this as cruel, but they never have an answer for why the working man, whose taxes fund these programs, must submit to drug screenings for his job, while those receiving government assistance are held to no such standard. This isn’t about punishment; it is about responsibility and ensuring that aid is a temporary hand up, not a permanent lifestyle funded by the public purse.
Walsh further dismantled the philosophical underpinnings of the modern welfare state, demanding, “And beyond that point, if the food stamp program is going to continue to exist at all, which I’m not convinced it should, it needs to have standards, strict standards. It needs to have a reason to exist. Someone needs to be able to explain in a coherent fashion why the spending is necessary.” This is the fundamental question that Democrats, with their addiction to big government, can never coherently answer. They have allowed these programs to become bloated, fraudulent shells used for political patronage rather than genuine charity. As Walsh noted, they have “essentially admitted it’s a shell game, and it’s rife with fraud.”
This entire debate underscores the stark contrast between the vision of the left and the America First agenda of President Donald Trump. Where the current administration sees a dependent populace to be managed and controlled, President Trump sees a nation of proud, self-sufficient citizens. His policies of deregulation, tax cuts, and energy independence created a booming economy that lifted people out of poverty and off welfare, proving that the best social program is a thriving private sector and a good job. The liberal media wants to distract from this record of success by fearmongering about any attempt to bring fiscal sanity and basic accountability to government programs that have spiraled out of control.
MATT WALSH: “The ongoing government shutdown has finally drawn attention to the scale of this fraud, and it is astronomical. It has exposed a vast network of criminal activity that needs to be shut down. Just for starters, as the attorney Mike Davis has pointed out, it’s illegal under federal law to provide financial assistant assistance to illegal aliens. It’s also illegal to rob stores and then brag about it on TikTok. At a minimum, we could start there. Arrest these criminals, prosecute the state officials who are paying out benefits to illegal aliens, who, by the way, typically receive Medicaid funding as well, and then also other welfare benefits. And then once we’re done with that, we need drug testing and weight testing for anyone receiving SNAP. We need a system that does not subsidize the grocery bills of 45 million people for the indefinite future with no time limit or restriction. And beyond that point, if the food stamp program is going to continue to exist at all, which I’m not convinced it should, it needs to have standards, strict standards. It needs to have a reason to exist. Someone needs to be able to explain in a coherent fashion why the spending is necessary. Democrats have had several days to give us an explanation, and they failed to do it. In fact, they’ve essentially admitted it’s a shell game, and it’s rife with fraud. They’ve admitted that they’re just redistributing money or creating economic activity, as Tim Walz put it.”