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New DOGE bill looks at food stamps excess payments and requires states to repay

FIRST ON FOX: The chair of the Senate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus is leading an effort to cut what she says is significant waste in food stamp programs.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is debuting a new bill on Wednesday designed to tackle overpayments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), colloquially known as “food stamps.”

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DOGE Chair Sen. Joni Ernst has already rolled out several bills to cut waste. (Getty | U.S. Department of Agriculture)

“Bureaucratic blunders are leaving billions of dollars on the table as Americans are starved to keep up with the ever-growing $36 trillion debt,” she told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“SNAP plays an essential role in helping feed families. That’s why we need to strengthen its integrity by holding states accountable for growing error rates, implementing a zero-tolerance policy, and snapping back overpayments.”

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The Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act would charge states with collecting back SNAP overpayments while also requiring states to return what is owed to the federal government. The measure would further hold states accountable for their rates of errors in SNAP payment distribution in order to incentivize finance management. Ernst’s legislation would also require that every error is reported rather than only those that exceed the tolerance threshold of $54.

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Vivek Ramaswamy, left, and Elon Musk (Getty Images | AP Images)

Ernst estimated that her bill could reduce spending by about $91 billion over the next 10 years, per her office.

DOGE was previously announced by President Donald Trump, who tapped billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new advisory board looking to cut government waste.

However, it was recently confirmed that Ramaswamy is stepping back from DOGE as he plans to run for governor of Ohio.

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Trump revealed DOGE before taking office. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Shortly after Trump revealed his plan for DOGE, Republicans in the House and Senate formed caucuses by the same name to help facilitate his agenda and cut waste, bureaucracy and spending.

Ernst has already introduced several bills aligned with DOGE’s mission.

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

January 29, 2025
Trump requires federal employees to return to in-person work

Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., expresses confidence in passing Trump’s legislative priorities through both Republican-controlled chambers and the ‘strong indication’ that America is a world leader again.

As promised on the campaign trail, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring federal employees to return to in-person work.

The order comes after Trump indicated that he planned to push back on former President Joe Biden’s move allowing federal workers to remain in a hybrid work arrangement through 2029.

“Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary,” the order reads.

Agencies must begin the move to fully in-person work by 5 p.m. on Friday, the order stated.

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President Donald Trump signs a series of executive orders at the White House on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford /The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Elon Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and is tasked with finding ways to cut government spending and improve the efficiency of federal initiatives.

One of those initiatives was ending remote work and viewing the requirement that federal workers return to the office as a way of spurring voluntary layoffs.

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“Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome: If federal employees don’t want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn’t pay them for the COVID-era privilege of staying home,” Musk wrote in an op-ed published with Vivek Ramaswamy, former DOGE co-leader, in The Wall Street Journal last month.

President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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In addition to the return-to-work order, Trump also signed an order freezing the hiring of federal civilian employees, to be applied throughout the executive branch.

The order stated, “As part of this freeze, no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law.”

The freeze excludes military personnel and positions related to immigration enforcement, national security and public safety.

January 23, 2025

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New DOGE bill looks at food stamps excess payments and requires states to repay

Trump requires federal employees to return to in-person work