SNAP Payment Security and Fraud Prevention Act of 2026

The bill gives the Department of Agriculture's Inspector General authority to investigate SNAP benefit theft and cybercrime and coordinate with other law enforcement agencies. Anyone who knowingly uses or transfers a household's SNAP benefits without authorization must pay the government twice the value of the stolen benefits. The bill also requires new EBT card cybersecurity rules, including chip-enabled cards and retailer payment terminals. States must replace a damaged, malfunctioning, stolen, or fraud-frozen card within 3 business days, and cannot charge a fee for a malfunctioning, expired, or outside-fraud-related replacement.