Kansas Republican accuses governor, DCF of SNAP cover-up

TOPEKA (KSNT) - A Kansas Republican lawmaker is accusing Governor Laura Kelly and a state agency of "a massive cover-up of waste, fraud, and abuse" in connection to a federal food program.

Kansas Republican House Speaker Dan Hawkins issued a press release on Aug. 7 regarding the recent announcement from the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) withholding information from the federal government. The information in question is related to users of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Hawkins accuses Kelly and DCF Secretary Laura Howard of hiding information related to the program from the federal government, allegedly due to errors within the Kansas SNAP program. He said the Kansas House Select Committee on Government Oversight found in April 2025 that Kansas is operating its SNAP program with an error rate of 12%.

“The actions of Governor Kelly and Secretary Howard are truly shocking," Hawkins said. "For years, they’ve made repeated SNAP payments in error, using taxpayer dollars to make payments to those who are not eligible for the program. They’ve repeatedly ignored requests from multiple federal administrations to correct their actions. Now they are refusing to release information to the USDA that would allow the federal government to investigate unlawful activity in a program that is funded with federal tax dollars. The Kelly Administration’s handling of this situation stinks to the high heavens. Governor Kelly and her Administration are clearly involved in a cover-up that is not only embarrassing for our state but likely fleecing federal taxpayers of their hard-earned money."

Hawkins ends his letter by calling on the USDA and other federal agencies to force Kelly's office to cooperate with previous calls to divulge information related to the SNAP program's users in Kansas. He said he will be contacting Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and the Kansas House Select Committee on Government Oversight to investigate the situation.

Howard announced in late July the DCF would not be cooperating with a federal request to send over SNAP information in order to protect the personal information of those who use it in Kansas. The DCF reported the original request included sensitive information for any Kansan who lived in a household that applied for and/or received SNAP benefits from Jan. 1, 2020 through to July 30, 2025.

“DCF is committed to the security of Kansans’ personal information and maintaining confidentiality consistent with state and federal law,” Howard said in a July 30 press release. “This demand for personal information goes beyond the scope of administering the program and puts in jeopardy the privacy of hundreds of thousands of Kansans who depend on SNAP to put food on their tables.”

27 News has reached out to Kelly's office for a response to Hawkins' letter. More information will be added here or in a later story as additional details are made available.

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