BOSTON, MA — Republican candidate for governor Brian Shortsleeve today blasted Governor Maura Healey after a Boston Herald article revealed that even the Biden administration warned Massachusetts officials the state’s SNAP program was failing to meet basic federal standards, despite her continued claims that concerns about fraud are a “distraction”:
“Everyone under the sun, from internal whistleblowers to the state auditor, the U.S. Attorney, the state of Rhode Island, and even the Biden administration, told Maura Healey that Massachusetts’ SNAP program is getting looted. Let that sink in. Yet Healey calls it a “distraction.” Tens of millions of taxpayer dollars have been stolen, payment error rates are among the worst in the country, and Healey looks the other way. That’s what happens when incompetence joins with partisanship to trump accountability.
“There are no more excuses for refusing to turn over SNAP data to the federal government or for failing to implement stronger safeguards in the program. If Healey won’t protect taxpayers, someone needs to. On Day One of my administration, we will audit these programs, install real fraud controls, including chip cards, and protect hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Massachusetts families deserve a government that is competent, accountable, and focused on results, not excuses.”