Fraud in Farm Subsidy Programs

Chris Edwards and Yasmeen Kallash-Kyler

The Trump administration is cracking down on fraud in welfare programs. Recent scandals in Minnesota suggest the ease with which people can steal from federal grant programs for food, childcare, and health care. The epidemic of food stamp card skimming is also in the news.

Low-income welfare is not the only type of federal spending hit by fraud. Farm subsidies—which are high-income welfare—also attract crime. With more than $30 billion a year in benefits...