Most Americans have never heard of the Thrifty Food Plan, but President Joe Biden’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) used a routine re-evaluation of it to bypass Congress and increase government spending on a key safety net program.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost at $200 billion over the next 10 years, adding to an already overstretched federal budget. Now, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)—Congress’s nonpartisan watchdog—has confirmed in two reports that the USDA acted improperly. Congress should insist that the USDA re-conduct the re-evaluation, this time demanding integrity and adherence to the law.