CNS News– US lawmakers are taking steps to make SNAP Benefits payment cards safer because cybercriminals are finding them easier to use. Senate Democrats Fetterman, Wyden, and Cassidy proposed the Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act to protect low-income Americans who depend on SNAP benefits to buy food.
Fraud-resistant chips must be put in all SNAP payment cards as a result of the suggested legislation. This is an important change because the current security measures have not been updated in over ten years. SNAP payments, which are given out by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), are very important to nearly 2 million people in Pennsylvania and many more across the country.
As head of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Senator Fetterman was worried about cybercrime that targets weak families. He said, “We can’t let families go hungry because of bad-faith actors.” A new look for the snap benefit card is coming soon thanks to proposed legislation.
Because cybercriminals are finding it easier to use SNAP Benefits payment cards (EBT), US politicians are taking steps to make them safer. Senator Wyden stressed that SNAP payment cards and credit cards should be treated the same. He criticized the old technology that leaves low-income families open to hacking.
The bill, which has a sister bill from Democratic Congressman Andy Kim and Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, is backed by the House of Representatives and lays out a complete plan to protect SNAP recipients.
It asks the USDA to add anti-fraud technology to SNAP cards, keep them up to date every five years, and make sure that the cards can use chips within two years of the new rules going into effect. In addition, the USDA will be in charge of a grant program that will help small grocery shops buy payment machines that can accept the new cards.
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“SNAP is supposed to help the person who is food insecure; it is not supposed to help crooks who steal these benefits,” Senator Cassidy said, emphasizing that the bill’s goal was to protect people who needed it. The law tries to find a middle ground by addressing worries about cybersecurity while keeping the important benefits for people and families who are hungry.