# Why SNAP Reform Needs More Than Mass Recertification 

States have zero financial stake in preventing fraud because Washington pays 100% of the benefits costs.

November 25, 2025 • News Releases 

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins promises “structural changes to SNAP” after Thanksgiving, following her controversial mass recertification proposal. But Cato’s [Romina Boccia](https://www.cato.org/people/romina-boccia) and [Tyler Turman](https://www.cato.org/people/tyler-turman) argue in [a new blog post](https://www.cato.org/blog/starving-accountability-aligned-incentives-not-mass-recertification-will-fix-snap) that the real problem isn’t paperwork—it’s incentives.

States have zero financial stake in preventing fraud because Washington pays 100% of the benefits costs. Boccia and Turman explain why block-granting SNAP and shifting fiscal responsibility to states would actually strengthen program integrity.

If you’d like to set up an interview on this topic, please reach out to Madison: [mmiller@​cato.​org](mailto:mmiller@cato.org).

Previous Commentary:

- [How Biden’s Thrifty Food Plan Change Broke SNAP’s Cost Controls](https://www.cato.org/blog/how-bidens-thrifty-food-plan-change-broke-snaps-cost-controls)
- [About 1 in 5 Kids Are at Risk of Losing SNAP. Centralized Control Keeps Failing Low-Income Families.](https://www.cato.org/commentary/about-1-5-kids-are-risk-losing-snap-centralized-control-keeps-failing-low-income)

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