Rep. Nancy Mace Files Farm Bill Amendment To Put Photo ID On Every SNAP EBT Card

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Apr. 24, 2026) - Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) filed an amendment to the Farm Bill requiring photo identification on every Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card and retailers verify cardholder identity before completing a transaction.

The amendment, based on Rep. Mace's Food Assistance Integrity and Responsibility (FAIR) Act (LINK), would ensure these commonsense reforms are enacted as part of the broader reauthorization of federal agriculture and nutrition programs through the 2026 Farm Bill.

"South Carolina families who rely on SNAP should never have to wonder if their benefits are safe," said Congresswoman Mace. "Taxpayers are tired of watching their hard-earned dollars fund fraud while Washington looks the other way. This ends now. Our amendment requires a photo on every card and mandates identity verification at every transaction. It is common sense: your photo is on the card, and you are the only one who uses it. Plain and simple."

Under current law, there is virtually no identity verification when a SNAP EBT card is swiped. The result is card sharing, stolen benefits, and taxpayer dollars flowing to people with no legal right to them.

More than half a million South Carolinians rely on SNAP to put food on the table. In just the first quarter of FY 2025, there were 4,209 instances of stolen SNAP benefits in our state alone. This amendment establishes the identity verification standards necessary to protect both taxpayers and the families this program was built to serve.

Rep. Mace's amendment would:

• Require a photo ID on every SNAP EBT card, updated every 10 years (every 5 for minors)
• Restrict benefit redemption to the individual whose name and photograph appear on the card
• Allow states to issue additional photo-verified cards for households with multiple authorized users
• Protect caregivers of minors, seniors, and individuals with disabilities with reasonable accommodation procedures
• Require retailers to inspect the photo on every EBT card before completing a SNAP sale
• Take effect 18 months after enactment, with USDA directed to make all conforming regulatory changes within that window

The amendment aligns with President Trump's push to eliminate waste and fraud across federal benefit programs and ensure taxpayer-funded assistance reaches only those legally eligible to receive it.

###