Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Electronic Benefits Transfer Card Security Measures
Key claim: USDA is proposing to update SNAP EBT rules so benefit cards use modern consumer-payment security standards, making it harder for thieves to steal SNAP funds while keeping benefits usable for eligible households.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Agriculture Department, Food and Nutrition Administration) The Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA or the Agency), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA or the Department), is issuing a rule proposing changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, the Program) regulations to modernize Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) technology and align EBT with consumer payment processing industry standards, improving both Program integrity and convenience for SNAP clients. These proposed changes will protect SNAP benefits from thieves and ensure benefits are accessible by approved households.
Why this matters
SNAP serves roughly 40 million people, and EBT card skimming has driven large losses in stolen benefits that households often cannot recover. Moving EBT onto modern payment-card security standards via rulemaking — rather than waiting for the cluster of pending anti-fraud bills — would be the most concrete federal step to date to harden the program’s payment rails, with downstream effects on states, retailers, and card issuers who must implement the upgrades.