Pennsylvania has a welfare problem. And if Gov. Josh Shapiro and his administration don’t get their act together, it will cost Pennsylvanians hundreds of millions of their hard-earned tax dollars in the long run.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Pennsylvania — along with Kentucky, Michigan and Minnesota — for refusing to share five years of data regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Why won’t the Shapiro administration turn over this information? What are they trying to hide?

This lawsuit follows the news of Pennsylvania’s atrociously high SNAP payment error rate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released data revealing the commonwealth’s payment error rate is 9.2%. With more than $4.3 billion in annual SNAP benefits to Pennsylvanians, that amounts to about $350 million in overpayments.

Plus, this inexcusable error rate puts Pennsylvania taxpayers on a collision course with the federal government’s mandatory penalties for such errors. Pennsylvania’s error rate is well above the federally allowed 6%. Per federal law, we have a year to reduce our error rate to the federal benchmark, or we must pay penalty fees. The Independent Fiscal Office estimated that Pennsylvania could be forced to pay about $900 million in penalty fees.

Taken together, the overpayments and penalties will cost Pennsylvanians more than $1.2 billion!

As if that wasn’t bad enough, welfare fraud is also on the rise and running rampant in the commonwealth. In 2025, fraud cases increased by 165%, putting Pennsylvania in the top five states. One federal report ranks Pennsylvania as the leading state for Medicaid fraud convictions.

The good people of Pennsylvania cannot afford this waste, fraud, and abuse. Medicaid alone consumes nearly one-third of Pennsylvania’s general fund. The commonwealth faces a $6 billion budget deficit, and every wasted dollar only promises statewide tax hikes for hardworking Pennsylvanians who are already facing an affordability crisis.

It is abundantly clear that Pennsylvania has allowed its safety-net programs to drift from their original purpose. SNAP and Medicaid were designed to benefit those who genuinely need them the most — those who cannot work (low-income kids, seniors, and people with disabilities) — and help those who can work get back on their feet. These programs were never meant to be permanent arrangements for the latter.

Pennsylvania needs commonsense reforms to preserve these crucial programs for the truly needy, and work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents are a great place to start.

And this isn’t a heavy lift. The federal government requires able-bodied recipients without dependents, ages 18 to 64, to report at least 20 hours a week (or 80 per month) of work, volunteering, education or training. This affords recipients the opportunity to find at least part-time work, moving away from government dependency.

The goal isn’t to blindly cut benefits; it’s to help recipients become independent and self-sufficient and build lives they can be proud of. Research shows that work requirements inspired many to join the workforce, doubling their income within a year and tripling it within two years.

This isn’t a new proposal. Pennsylvania lawmakers actually passed Medicaid work requirements twice — once in 2017 and again in 2018 — only to see them vetoed by then-Gov. Tom Wolf, despite widespread support. And just last year, the state budget included a requirement to check death records every month and wage records every quarter against Medicaid and SNAP.

Interestingly, this is one issue where most Pennsylvanians, regardless of political affiliation, agree. Recent polling suggests that Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly support this proposal, including nearly two-thirds of Democrats.

Work requirements are a win-win proposal. Able-bodied workers gain upward mobility and self-sufficiency, reserving benefits for those who cannot work. Taxpayers also benefit from reduced program costs and an expanded tax base as more Pennsylvanians enter or reenter the workforce.

There is dignity in work. Nobody sets out hoping to remain dependent on government checks. Most people want to work and provide for themselves and their families. A system that excuses able-bodied adults from that expectation isn’t doing them or taxpayers any favors.

Most importantly, none of this requires abandoning anyone who genuinely needs help. Medicaid and SNAP benefits for the neediest should remain intact. These programs are meant to be a strong safety net for those who can’t work, not a flimsy hammock for those who can.

Pennsylvania must break from its costly welfare malpractice. Fraud and federal noncompliance will cost Pennsylvanians millions of dollars, both in litigation and punitive fees — none of which we can afford given our impending budget deficit. Requiring work for able-bodied SNAP and Medicaid recipients will not only improve the long-term integrity of the programs for those who need them the most but also provide a pathway out of poverty and into dignity for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians.

MEGAN MARTIN | Commonwealth Foundation

Megan Martin is chief operating officer and general counsel for the Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s free-market think tank.