Calls for Sweeping Reforms At DTA
BOSTON, MA – Marine, businessman, proven government reformer and Republican candidate for governor Brian Shortsleeve today called for immediate reforms to Massachusetts’ SNAP and emergency benefits administration following new allegations from a Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) employee describing “rampant” and “unabated” fraud, lax identity verification, and a culture of looking the other way as theft drains taxpayer-funded benefits and leaves vulnerable recipients without food assistance.
According to the whistleblower account, DTA staff repeatedly flagged escalating fraud patterns to management, only to be told to follow existing protocols, “tread lightly” in screening, and move on. The report also describes theft occurring across state lines, repeated monthly victimization, and limited recourse for honest families after federal replacement funding expired.
“Massachusetts taxpayers are being taken for a ride, and the people who truly need help are the ones paying the price,” said Shortsleeve. “Despite credible, repeated reports of ongoing fraud in the SNAP program, the Healey administration did nothing. This is an epic management failure and the same sort of denialism we are all too used to hearing from Healey.”
Shortsleeve called on Governor Maura Healey to immediately implement a fraud crackdown and to stop treating accountability like an optional add-on. Shortsleeve’s reform agenda includes:
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Independent, top-to-bottom audit of DTA and SNAP/EBT controls, including management practices, screening standards, and payment integrity.
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Stronger identity and residency verification, including mandatory documentation for address and household composition, with clear standards that apply uniformly.
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End blanket self-declaration for key expenses and household changes and require verification for claims that materially increase benefits.
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Create a dedicated anti-fraud command structure with measurable targets, mandatory public reporting, and clear consequences for failing to act on red flags.
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Full cooperation with federal partners to investigate organized fraud networks and recover stolen funds where possible.
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Policy alignment so the state’s benefits system is not a magnet for abuse, including tightening eligibility and enforcement where state law allows.
“Maura Healey has spent years handing out billions of dollars in free housing, free health care, free meals, and free transportation to non-citizens even as our own people struggle to afford the basics, so it should be no surprise that bad actors are taking full advantage of a broken system with no oversight,” said Shortsleeve. “As governor, I will reform this system the way you reform any broken operation: verify, audit, enforce, and deliver benefits to the people who actually qualify, not the people gaming the system.”