PORTLAND (AP) — The federal government has threatened to pull funding it provides to Maine to administer the food stamp program unless the state makes clear photos are not required on the cards used to receive benefits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s five-page letter received Thursday by the state Department of Health and Human Services says a state policy that gives the impression that benefits may be accessed only by people whose photographs appear on their Electronic Benefits Transfer cards is a civil rights violation.
The state has 45 days to submit a plan for addressing the USDA’s concerns.
A state agency spokesman said the letter is being reviewed, but putting photos on EBT cards is a “commonsense” reform “to ensure the integrity of the welfare system.”
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