In Pennsylvania, almost two million people rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to purchase groceries. Unfortunately, instances of benefit theft and fraud through a variety of methods are becoming increasingly common, although the federal government previously reimbursed stolen benefits. This is no longer the case, leaving our constituents and their families without money to buy food, even when they have taken precautions and locked their benefit cards.
 
In light of increased benefit theft, and due to the EBT card interoperability between states, it is imperative that each state across the country implements uniform standards on securing SNAP benefits. For that reason, we plan to introduce a resolution urging Congress to pass H.R. 7658 and S. 3949, the Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act of 2026, or create and enact other legislation to require the implementation of stronger security measures to protect SNAP benefits. These measures would require that the U.S. Department of Agriculture update regulations at least every five years to ensure that security guidelines and technology are up-to-date and require uniform chip-enabled EBT implementation in all states.
 
Please consider joining us in this effort to ensure the security of SNAP benefits for our constituents and their families.