My name is Parker Gilkesson and I’m a senior policy analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy. My experience as a North Carolina caseworker led to my commitment to become a researcher, advocate, and expert on SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid. CLASP is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty nonprofit advancing policy solutions for people with low incomes. My testimony summarizes a detailed paper I published analyzing the racialized history of fraud in SNAP. I’d like to make 4 key points: (1) the intense focus on fraud in SNAP is tied closely to a history of racist stereotypes, (2) actual SNAP fraud is rare, (3) the focus on fraud makes programs less effective at reducing hunger, and (4) federal and state agencies have many practical fixes to reduce the barriers to SNAP caused by unnecessary fraud provisions.

>> Read the full testimony here

>> Read Parker’s op-ed in The Hill

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