Trump USDA official praises Newsom administration’s action against EBT fraud | California Politics 360
Um, Undersecretary Penn, thank you so much for making time for us. Thank you for having me. First, let me just ask, what brings you to California? Well, we are very much, uh, you know, excited to be here on behalf of Secretary Brooke Rollins, the thirty-third Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture. Uh, she brings her regards, uh, not only to the great state of California but also because there are *** whole array of programs that we have in USDA, some of which we are here to celebrate and take *** look at. One of the things that I do as the deputy undersecretary, uh, of food, nutrition, and Consumer Services is I go out into the field and I see, uh, all of our staff off. what we call our regional offices. So we are now here in the western region, uh, visiting all of our extraordinary staff that we have here, uh, led by one illustrious Doctor Muzafer with his team down in San Francisco. So flew in last night and got *** chance to conduct town hall with them. The other piece that I wanted to come out and take *** look and do, uh, and see *** few things concerning our SNAP ENT programs, the SNAP Employment and Training, as well as, uh, some of our WIC, uh, sites that we have, the WIC clinics clinics for the women, infants, and children. So we have an opportunity to see that, and I do believe. At one point, uh, I’ll be able to see, uh, some of our national school lunch or school breakfast programs in operation as well. OK, what have been your takeaways so far? I mean, just with your town hall, just what you’ve picked up in California so far. Right now, 1, California is *** beautiful, beautiful state. Uh, awesome people, fantastic food, and, uh, just couldn’t be happier to be here. Uh, I was *** little surprised by the rain today. They told me in an old song that it never rains in Southern California, so there was that, uh, and then we have the other side of it, uh, when we look at all of our staff that we have, uh, that I’ve sat in the town hall with, we have some of the most amazing professionals, uh, in the food and nutrition service, uh, here at our regional office here for the Western region. They have *** passion, uh, for the work. They have *** dedication that spans. I had an opportunity to give out, uh, time and service awards and decades of service. Some people have been here working, uh, and delivering, uh, for the American people for over 40 years. So everything from 5 year awards up to 40+ years, uh, is just tremendous to see, uh, that amount of dedication, uh, to both the programs but also to the mission and the work and the camaraderie with the team. So very happy to see that. Is the cost of food in this state come up in these conversations? No, it didn’t come up in the, in the conversations today, but how’s your cost of food? I mean, I would say it’s, uh, I think Californians would say generally the cost of groceries right now is expensive. You mentioned the SNA updates, um, that we’ve seen and living in *** democratic state that bristles often with the administration. We’ve heard *** lot of warnings and impacts, um, impacts to our state funds potentially. But first, I just, let me ask you just. If, if you think like, like, from what you’re understanding, if the SNA current um allotments align with California’s cost of living under with your understanding. Well, right now, my understanding of uh how the SNAP allotments are, *** lot of those things are set uh by the uh By the amounts that we have coming out of DC, uh, and *** lot of that is already written into law, so as *** part of the executive branch we faithfully execute the laws that are passed by Congress and signed, uh, by the president, uh, but as far as whether or not it’s something that. Uh, you know, like we’re at the WIC, uh, clinic here today, and we’re looking at some of the things that they’re pulling out in accordance with the, uh, new, uh, DGAs, the dietary guidelines for Americans, uh, where, whereby we want to make sure that we get more wholesome, nutrient-rich, uh, nutrient dense foods into, uh, the, the, the, not only into the grocery stores but also to the recipients of the programs. Um, I know that with the WIC, uh, that one right there is transparent. Uh, to the women, infants, and children, the moms that, that actually, uh, are participants in that program, the cost of eggs is always gonna be the cost of eggs in accordance with that program. So, while, you know, I would say that. In, in our nation right now, that is something that is on the top of everybody’s mind. Uh, I know that there is no better way to get, um, you know, that nutrition and that nutritional value that we need to have going to our recipients than through, uh, the great work that our people are doing here, uh, in California through the regional office and with our partners here at the, uh, state of California as well. Last, uh, I believe it was *** couple of weeks ago, um, some refugees, uh, we have *** lot of them in Sacramento, lost their ability to get SNAPP under the new rules that were approved by Congress, passed by the administration. Um, and there’s *** concern, especially about the pressure on food banks. Does the USDA plan or have the ability to help with that? Yeah, so when we look at the, um, the, the food banks and the, the amounts of foods and the types of foods that we partner with the states, uh, to actually stock and, and, and make that happen, that’s one of, uh, across the USDA, uh, food nutrition service we have 16 programs, uh, so that touches on, on one of those as well, uh, just going back and we’re talking about, you know. Uh, the SNAP program here in the state of California, you have, uh, some things that are really, really innovative that are taking place. When we see the SNAP, um, what is it called, the chip tap technology, uh, where we, whereby we, you know, try to crack down on fraud, waste, and abuse in the taxpayer dollars that are going into the program that can get siphoned off by bad actors, uh. You know, Secretary Rollins has always been laser focused since day one to make sure that we dial back and that we really double down on our efforts to eradicate, if we can, all of the fraud, waste, and abuse that’s in the program. We do that through going out and taking *** look at our retailers, excuse me, also inspecting not only their compliance, and whether or not they are doing things right within the within the code as written. But also looking at the types of technology and the skimming games that that go on in that space and also, uh, you know, just looking at all the different. Um, aspects that we have for integrity and compliance, uh, within the SNAP program. Now, what has that led to? That’s led to here, uh, in the state of California, I believe, with that, uh, chip technology that, that they’ve, uh, I think they were one of the first in the nation to actually introduce it, um, you know, ***, ***, *** massive, I heard today, almost 80%, um, uh, drop in that type of fraud. That was happening as well. So that was confirmed by your administration. I just want to, because we’ve heard that from the Newsom administration, it would be helpful to know that the Trump administration. Well, I, I, I don’t know what the what the figures are, but that’s what I heard today, and I am going to be looking into that to make sure that that’s verified. But what I have seen is what I’ve heard from my team and my staff today is that that is something that is extremely, extremely. Uh, is, is one of those good news stories that we really want to promote because when we partner with our state partners, when we partner with the programs as they’re executed in accordance with the law, when we partner with, uh, folks who are given toward making sure that they are safeguarding and protecting, uh, the, the investments, uh, and the generosity of the American taxpayer, that’s something that we can all be proud of. Yeah, are there any other efforts the USDA is. Looking at to crack down on on fraud broadly when it comes to Snap or other programs that it oversees. Yeah, so *** lot of it comes down to just making sure that, um, you know, when you, when you have fraud that’s happening with the skimming, uh, machines and technology, just staying out in front of the types of technologies and where the bad actors want to skate to, as Wayne Gretzky said, you skate to where the puck is going to be. Uh, and trying to stay in front of that as best, uh, you possibly can, so we always have, uh, that, that line of communication open with the states to really just, uh, allow them to have *** seat at the table and *** voice in the conversation, uh, so that we can see what’s happening on the ground in their respective areas even within the state of California and what types of, um, what types of tactics and procedures they’re utilizing, what types of technologies are out there, uh, that can help crack down on that fraud, waste and. Abuse because the reason that we want to do that is to make sure that the American taxpayers not only, you know, get the recompense and, and the, the, the good stewardship that they expect out of our programs, but also that we instill, uh, in the public *** trust. Uh, for our execution of the program. So that’s something that’s very, very important to us. I know *** lot of Americans have been worried about waste, fraud, abuse, but sort of circling back to the first question on affordability, just what is the USDA doing to make food prices come down from Where some have felt they’ve been high. Absolutely there’s *** whole array of different things that are happening. I’m pretty sure you follow on social media. Secretary Rawlings has some some great and innovative leadership across the different mission areas that we have in USDA with *** great focus on driving down those upward pressures that are happening on foodstuffs across America. You know, uh, just tackling the, the, the problem that we had with the new world screwworm and looking at the different things that are happening inside of the beef industry. Also, uh, as you know, uh, egg prices are down to record levels because I know that, you know, she personally had *** hand in making sure that egg prices were, uh, you know, which touches so many, you know, tables in America. Uh, I, I’m sure you do, absolutely, uh, you know, just to see that those things can actually happen, uh, that’s something that should be encouraging to everyone. Now, as far as, uh, *** lot of the other, uh, things that we see in the affordability space, there are, as, as it pertains to my Ballywick, uh, dealing with the food, nutrition, consumer services, uh, you know, there are *** ton of different ways that, that, uh, you know, we look. At how we can get good wholesome nutritious food onto people’s tables, uh, especially as recipients of our programs, but also not only getting that food there but also the education, uh, in how to shop for those foods, uh, for the foods that are on those lists, uh, the, the accepted food list as well, but also, you know, education on how to prepare them, uh, so all of those things, uh, come together to make sure that folks understand, hey, listen. Uh, that there’s an opportunity out there and USDA is standing arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder with you for it. With the updates to SNAP, um, counties, some welfare organizations are, are just worried about the new rules that go into effect on work requirements. Um, here in California, the warning that we’ve heard from some organizations is that. 1 in 5 of the recipients could be at risk of losing their benefits because of that. Just how, um, how do you respond to that? And, and does the USDA plan to monitor these changes and how they could impact just the nutrition? And well-being of some of these people who were relying on these programs. Yeah, absolutely. So when you look at, uh, you know, some of the rules that are, you know, being called into play with HR one, the one Big Beautiful bill, uh, *** lot of those things are going into play and we are working with our states again, as I told you how we have our, um, division. Across the nation we’ve divided the nation up into what we call regional offices. Those regional offices are in charge of certain states and here in the western region, uh, the state of California has constant contact and as I’ve heard today from several of the, uh, several of the administration here in the state of California, our partners here, that they have *** great rapport and relationship. They know that they have *** seat at the table. They know they have *** voice in the conversation. Uh, when it comes to any issues that they might have, understanding the changes included in HR one, but also how to effectuate those changes as well, so that’s one of the big things that we actually produce and, and, and, uh, provide rather is what we call, um, you know, technical assistance. So, uh, our team is always on standby to help them navigate that space as best that, uh, uh, you know, to. Uh, resolve any questions or issues that they might have, uh, any, uh, things that any questions that they might have on HR1. I think that some of the changes that you see happening as *** result of that bill, I know the Secretary has already announced, uh, with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, uh, something that we call the DGAs, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, um, you know. When you look at the gold standard science that buttresses and underpins the DGAs, when you look at what it is that we are asking, uh, you know, people to do, which is to eat real food, uh, and the, the, the great health effects that would derive from that, those DGAs will be permeating across all of our programs, uh, the food programs that we have across the nation. Whether it be SNA, whether it be WIC, whether it be, uh, for Dipper, which is the food distribution program that we have to our, uh, native population as well, uh, CSFP or CACFP, which are the ones that we have with our food programs that deal with children, senior citizens, our farm to Schools, uh, just all of those different, uh, arrays that we have, uh, in all of our programs, even the school breakfast and school lunch programs as well, those types of things, uh, we’re very excited about because we know that it’s going to pay dividends, uh, for all of our American populations that are recipients of our programs. Um, California is *** big agricultural center, so I have sort of *** wonky outlandish question for you that maybe you’re not tracking, maybe you are, but, um, for example, we’ve, we’ve heard from pear growers who are pretty centralized here in this region who are worried about Argentinian imports. Um, I, there are peach growers who have. Concerns, um, wine grape growers, I mean, all of these fruit growers essentially that for one reason or another are having issues either at the state or federal level, I wonder if that’s part of your, your journey here in California that you’ll, you’ll explore just the situation for ag here right now. Yeah, uh, thank you for the tip on it. I, uh, will look forward to exploring that *** little more fulsome. Uh, uh, today I did hear about strawberries, so I am excited about that as well that they are great here in the state of California, that they have made it into our WC packages, uh, uh, uh, as far as, uh, you know, one of the recommended foods, and I guess the kids really, really love them. Is that correct as well? Uh, we’ll have to check in, but we’ll have to verify, but, yeah, at this time of year they’re great. Did you try one? I tried 2 this morning. OK, what do you think? Super succulent. Great. Is there anything else you think we should know before we let you go? Um, well, I would also say that um one of the things that I would like to cover while we’re here as I mentioned earlier is what we call SNAP ENT, that’s the SNAP Employment and Training Program. Uh, one of the big things that we want to do is move people from *** life of dependency into *** hopeful future of independence if you will, and SNAP ENT employment and training is, is one of those ways that we can do that. So one of the tours that I think that I’m going to be having here while I’m in the state is. Looking at some of those facilities that are actually apply applying that particular program uh to help people uh with the wraparound services that they need to reduce and relieve them of the barriers that it would take for them to get into not just *** job but *** career as well because we call it more than *** job campaign. Uh, we wanna make sure that, uh, you know, everything that we do for our recipients of our programs, uh, sets them up for success, uh, and any way that we can, you know, have *** hand in that success for their lives to put them onto *** path of, of, of independence and self-sufficiency, I’m all for it, and that’s something that, that I look forward to seeing out here and seeing how the great state of California does it right as well. OK, and these are state. So SNA ENT is the federal program, right? Uh, but inside of California, uh, uh, different states they call them by different names, uh, but overall it’s the SNAP ENT program that we have, and I think here in California it’s considered SNAP ENT still, uh, that’s the same moniker that they use as well. So we have different, um, organizations. I think, uh, the one that I’m seeing tomorrow is CEO. The Center for Employment Opportunities, uh, they will take *** tour of them as well uh while here on the ground and just see what the program is, what some of their recipients do, uh, some of their, uh, you know, their staff, and, and see how they, you know, lend *** hand to the, to the great work that it takes to make sure that, you know, everyone has what they need to be successful in life. That’s all I have. Thank you so much. Absolutely, thank you so very much. Thank you for having me. Yeah, thanks for being here.
Trump USDA official praises Newsom administration’s action against EBT fraud | California Politics 360
Updated: 8:25 AM PDT Apr 26, 2026
As California sees a major drop in electronic benefits transfer fraud, the Trump administration this week praised the action state leaders have taken on the issue. Patrick Penn, the Deputy Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services for the United States Department of Agriculture, was in California this week checking in on various programs. In an interview with California Politics 360, Penn praised the Newsom administration’s use of chip and tap technology in EBT cards. He noted California is the first state in the nation to implement it, and other states are working to follow the move. “Here in California, you have some things that are taking place that are really, really innovative,” Penn said, noting the Trump administration’s goal of tackling fraud and saving taxpayer money. Penn said he was told by his staff the new technology has indeed resulted in an 80% drop in EBT fraud, a figure the Newsom administration first provided to KCRA 3 in January. “What I’ve heard from my team and my staff today is that that is something that is extremely, extremely… it’s one of those good news stories that we want to promote,” Penn said. “When we partner with our state partners, when we partner with the programs when they’re executed in accordance with the law with folks who are given to folks who are safeguarding and protecting the investments and generosity of the American taxpayer, that’s something we can all be proud of,” Penn said. Penn praised California’s anti-fraud efforts amid questions about the future of food prices, county resources and food banks with many people in the state expected to lose access to federal benefits in the coming weeks. New rules approved by Congress and President Donald Trump stripped the eligibility of refugees earlier this month, and new work requirements go into effect in June. When asked what the USDA is doing to bring food prices down, Penn pointed to efforts to tackle issues related to beef prices such as the New World screwworm and the push to bring down egg prices. He also said the USDA is working to educate people on how to get affordable, wholesome nutritious foods on the tables of SNAP recipients. Penn said the administration is working to ensure foodbanks are stocked and would monitor the impact federal rule changes will have on communities. “We are working with our states,” Penn said, stating regional USDA offices have a good relationship with state and local officials. “They know they have a seat at the table, they know they have a voice in the conversation,” Penn said. KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.
As California sees a major drop in electronic benefits transfer fraud, the Trump administration this week praised the action state leaders have taken on the issue.
Patrick Penn, the Deputy Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services for the United States Department of Agriculture, was in California this week checking in on various programs.
In an interview with California Politics 360, Penn praised the Newsom administration’s use of chip and tap technology in EBT cards. He noted California is the first state in the nation to implement it, and other states are working to follow the move.
“Here in California, you have some things that are taking place that are really, really innovative,” Penn said, noting the Trump administration’s goal of tackling fraud and saving taxpayer money.
Penn said he was told by his staff the new technology has indeed resulted in an 80% drop in EBT fraud, a figure the Newsom administration first provided to KCRA 3 in January.
“What I’ve heard from my team and my staff today is that that is something that is extremely, extremely… it’s one of those good news stories that we want to promote,” Penn said.
“When we partner with our state partners, when we partner with the programs when they’re executed in accordance with the law with folks who are given to folks who are safeguarding and protecting the investments and generosity of the American taxpayer, that’s something we can all be proud of,” Penn said.
Penn praised California’s anti-fraud efforts amid questions about the future of food prices, county resources and food banks with many people in the state expected to lose access to federal benefits in the coming weeks.
New rules approved by Congress and President Donald Trump stripped the eligibility of refugees earlier this month, and new work requirements go into effect in June.
When asked what the USDA is doing to bring food prices down, Penn pointed to efforts to tackle issues related to beef prices such as the New World screwworm and the push to bring down egg prices. He also said the USDA is working to educate people on how to get affordable, wholesome nutritious foods on the tables of SNAP recipients.
Penn said the administration is working to ensure foodbanks are stocked and would monitor the impact federal rule changes will have on communities.
“We are working with our states,” Penn said, stating regional USDA offices have a good relationship with state and local officials.
“They know they have a seat at the table, they know they have a voice in the conversation,” Penn said.
KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.