When the federal government pays for 100% of a program and lets states administer it, that shouldn’t include forcing federal taxpayers to pay for unlimited state payment errors.

Republicans put that noncontroversial principle into practice in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by requiring states to pay for a portion of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits if their payment error rates exceed 6%. This means that state governments and their taxpayers will be on the hook for some or all of the improper payments they send out the door.

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