The Maryland General Assembly starts Wednesday, January 14. As it begins, the Maryland Freedom Caucus points out a major scandal in the State.
From a January 12th Maryland Freedom Caucus Press Release:
Earlier this week, investigative reporting revealed what can only be described as a major scandal inside the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) — one involving a federally funded food assistance program designed to support Maryland’s most vulnerable families.
According to whistleblowers who spoke with Spotlight on Maryland, senior state officials allegedly intentionally left known, correctable food stamp payment errors unresolved in order to preserve a high error rate and delay approximately $240 million in federal penalties. If true, this conduct goes far beyond mismanagement. It represents an alleged effort to manipulate federal SNAP compliance metrics to conceal failure and avoid accountability.
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Why This Matters:
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to provide support to individuals in need, funded through taxpayer contributions.
With the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in July, states were put on notice to rein in waste, fraud, and abuse by correcting over- or underpayments.Whistleblowers allege that DHS leadership chose not to correct errors they were legally obligated to fix — not because they couldn’t, but because doing so would have triggered financial consequences for the state. By keeping error rates high, the state can avoid penalties it rightfully should pay for malfeasance. Even more troubling are allegations that whistleblowers were retaliated against for speaking up.
A Pattern of Failure at DHS:
This SNAP scandal does not stand alone. Under DHS Secretary Rafael López, Maryland has seen repeated and serious failures, including:
- The death of a juvenile in state care
- Foster children housed in hotels
- Sex offenders placed with foster youth
- Multiple audits citing waste, fraud, and abuse
At some point, failure becomes systemic — and accountability becomes unavoidable.
The Maryland Freedom Caucus Response:
We released a public letter calling on Governor Moore to hold his administration accountable, including the immediate removal of DHS Secretary Rafael López.
January 9th Letter to Wes Moore:
Letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins
Because SNAP is a federally funded program, we formally requested federal oversight from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, asking USDA to review Maryland’s SNAP administration, error-correction practices, and compliance with federal requirements:
Letter to President Trump and Congressman Andy Harris
We also informed President Donald Trump and Congressman Andy Harris of the allegations and our actions, emphasizing the national implications of allowing states to manipulate federal programs without consequence:
Governor Moore’s Response Falls Short
Governor Moore’s administration initially denied the allegations, but instead focused on blaming the media and federal policy rather than providing transparency.
Maryland Freedom Caucus Vice Chair, Delegate Kathy Szeliga, addressed this directly in a recent interview:
🔗 Watch the FOX Baltimore interview featuring Delegate Kathy Szeliga:
https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/governor-wes-moore-denies-whistleblowers-allegations-scheme-avoid-federal-snap-penalties-maryland
As Delegate Szeliga explains, this is not about politics; it is about whether government officials can misuse programs for the poor to hide their own failures and retaliate against those who speak the truth.
The Bottom Line
Programs designed to help struggling families should never be used to game the system, evade penalties, or protect political leadership from embarrassment.
Marylanders deserve:
- Honest administration of public programs
- Protection for whistleblowers
- Accountability when things go wrong
The Maryland Freedom Caucus will continue pressing for answers — and for action — until the full truth comes out.
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