SNAP

Amelia Brust/Federal News Network

How the Agriculture Department put the SNAP program on overdrive

In doing economic analyses leading to changes in federal benefits, agencies are obligated to do them a certain way. During the pandemic, the Agriculture…

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FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2016, file photo an iPhone is seen in Washington. Watchdog groups that keep tabs on digital privacy rights are concerned that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents are searching the phones and other digital devices of international travelers at border checkpoints in U.S. airports. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation say complaints of such searches have spiked recently. Americans have protection under the Fourth Amendment from unreasonable search and seizure. A police officer, for example, must obtain a warrant from a judge before searching a suspect's phone. But the U.S. border is a legal grey zone. Border agents have long had the right to search travelers' physical luggage without a warrant, and that interpretation has been expanded to include digital devices. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

CBP searched through record number of electronic devices in 2017

In today’s Federal Newscast, Customs and Border Protection says it reviewed over 30 thousand electronic devices last year, while also announcing changes…

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Kay Brown: USDA’s SNAP programs face state-level disconnect

The Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service relies on state agencies to detect and stop fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program…

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Jon Lemon: Predictive analytics help USDA stop SNAP fraud

Fraud has been a longstanding concern for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP. About a year ago, the Government Accountability Office took a look at the program and made recommendations that the Food and Nutrition Service reassess the detection tools that were being used. Today, FNS is cracking down on SNAP trafficking with predictive analysis. Jon Lemon is a systems engineer with SAS Federal. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to further discuss the program…

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