President Donald Trump and his administration have made it clear that they are serious about dramatically reducing the staggering amount of waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars in federal spending.

One such example came this week in the form of an announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture would begin a crackdown on ineligible illegal aliens receiving taxpayer-funded food stamp benefits, according to Fox News.

The move stems from a broader administration-wide effort launched last week by the White House to ensure that no ineligible illegal aliens were improperly receiving any forms of taxpayer-funded welfare benefits.

No more food stamps for illegal aliens

A USDA press release on Tuesday announced that Sec. Brooke Rollins instructed the department's Food and Nutrition Service to "immediately clarify and enforce all rules restricting" federal benefits to only eligible recipients like U.S. citizens and legal residents.

The USDA FNS oversees the food stamp program, more formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which has reportedly been rife with fraud and abuse for decades.

"The days in which taxpayer dollars are used to subsidize illegal immigration are over," Rollins said in a statement. "Today's directive affirms that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will follow the law -- full stop."

Trump demands end to all welfare benefits for ineligible illegal aliens

The press release from Sec. Rollins cited a Feb. 19 executive order from President Trump titled "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders," which as the name implies was primarily focused on ending incentives for illegal immigration, a major one of which is welfare benefits.

Trump's order declared, "My Administration will uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protect benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans."

The order instructed all relevant executive department and agency heads to "ensure, consistent with applicable law, that Federal payments to States and localities do not, by design or effect, facilitate the subsidization or promotion of illegal immigration, or abet so-called 'sanctuary' policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation."

Further, the order directed those same department and agency leaders to "ensure that taxpayer-funded benefits exclude any ineligible alien who entered the United States illegally or is otherwise unlawfully present in the United States."

Congressional GOP bill to end food stamp benefits overpayments

Notably, the Trump USDA is not entirely alone in seeking to ensure that taxpayer-funded SNAP benefits aren't being wasted on ineligible recipients like illegal aliens, as Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) has introduced legislation with a remarkably similar if somewhat broader goal aimed at ending and even "snapping back" SNAP benefit overpayments.

"Bureaucratic blunders are leaving billions of dollars on the table as Americans are starved to keep up with the ever-growing $36 trillion debt," Ernst said in a statement last month. "SNAP plays an essential role in helping feed families, that’s why we need to strengthen its integrity by holding states accountable for growing error rates, implementing a zero-tolerance policy, and snapping back overpayments."

"Every month, taxpayers shell out about $1 billion in SNAP overpayments, which is absolutely ridiculous and must change," Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA), who introduced a companion bill in the House, said. "That’s why Senator Ernst and I introduced legislation to strengthen the integrity of the SNAP program by establishing a zero-tolerance policy on benefit overpayments. As members of our respective DOGE caucuses, we will continue to fight for fiscal sanity, government efficiency, and a balanced budget."

If passed into law, the bill would require states to recover SNAP overpayments, reimburse the federal government for what is owed, and face accountability for overpayment errors as an incentive to improve their management of federal funds.