AFPI–NM: LFC Report Shows State’s SNAP Failures Could Cost Taxpayers Up to $173 Million a Year

Santa Fe, NM — The America First Policy Institute's (AFPI) New Mexico state chapter released the following statement from New Mexico Executive Director Vincent Torres after the Legislative Finance Committee released its program evaluation on the state's administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):

"Today's evaluation confirms that New Mexico's administration of SNAP is failing and can no longer go unaddressed. The state's payment error rate has climbed to 14.6 percent — among the highest in the nation — and now threatens to cost taxpayers up to $173 million a year, money that should go to education, public safety, and health care.

As the report makes clear, these errors come from the state's own processing mistakes and program administration choices, not from caseloads or underfunding. AFPI–New Mexico supports commonsense reforms, as well as closing the Broad Based Categorical Eligibility loophole, to strengthen oversight, verify eligibility data, and protect both taxpayer dollars and the safety net for the New Mexicans who need it most."

Learn more about AFPI New Mexico here.