Maine DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew went before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to urge changes in the food stamp program, seeking more flexibility for states to help reduce fraud.
She told the panel that federal officials have tried to block key proposals such as Maine’s voluntary program to put photos on EBT cards.
“They have raised a number of barriers. When we first decided we were going to implement, we had provided a number of documents to USDA to provide all of the background, how we intended to implement,” Mayhew says.
When asked about Mayhew’s criticism, Under Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Concannon, a former Maine DHHS commissioner, denied her accusation, saying his agency didn’t oppose the effort, they simply wanted it done right.
