{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/politics/minnesota-snap-waiver-use-debated-by-state-and-federal-officials","slug":"minnesota-snap-waiver-use-debated-by-state-and-federal-officials","url":"https://mediabias.news/politics/minnesota-snap-waiver-use-debated-by-state-and-federal-officials","title":"Minnesota SNAP waiver use debated by state and federal officials","subtitle":"Officials disagree on the scope of a COVID-era policy allowing verbal signatures for food assistance applicants.","excerpt":"Minnesota continues to use a COVID-era waiver for SNAP applicants, permitting verbal signatures over the phone. The U.S. Department of Agriculture extended this waiver until June 30, 2028, but state and federal officials appear to differ on its application.","category":"Politics","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T19:45:47.536Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-09-17T16:33:32.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-17T20:30:14.542Z","readTime":"2 min read","scores":{"trust":42,"critic":24,"hype":70,"notes":{"trust":"All six digests repeat The Center Square’s report; no independent sources, limited attribution, yielding low trust.","critic":"Digest offers no quotes, context or next steps; brief but clear, resulting in poor craft score.","hype":"Headline mentions lawmaker fraud concerns not covered in digest, creating clickbait mismatch."}},"tags":["#SNAP","#Minnesota","#USDA","#FoodAssistance","#Waiver"],"entities":["Minnesota","U.S. Department of Agriculture","Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Minnesota is using a COVID-era waiver that allows Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applicants to give verbal signatures by phone.","The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended this waiver for Minnesota through June 30, 2028.","There is a disagreement between state and federal officials regarding the extent to which the waiver can be applied.","A lawmaker has raised concerns about potential fraud related to the waiver."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Minnesota is continuing to use a COVID-era waiver that permits Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applicants to provide verbal signatures over the phone, without requiring an audio recording. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended this waiver for the state until June 30, 2028. However, state and federal officials appear to hold differing views on the scope of the waiver's application."},{"type":"heading","text":"Differing views on waiver scope"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Reports indicate a disagreement between state and federal officials concerning the breadth of the SNAP waiver. The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families stated that the waiver is available to all households. The specific nature of the federal government's differing interpretation was not detailed in the provided digests."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the centre-rated or right-rated digests mentioned the specific details of the disagreement between state and federal officials regarding the scope of the SNAP waiver. The digests also did not include any direct statements from the lawmaker who raised fraud concerns."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"thedailybs.com","url":"https://thedailybs.com/2026/09/17/minnesota-usda-differ-on-scope-of-snap-waiver-as-lawmaker-raises-fraud-concerns","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns - The Daily Bo Snerdley","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:33:32.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Center Square","url":"https://thecentersquare.com/minnesota/article_79490198-c316-43c9-ae27-6dc4875f548a.html","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"KAKE News","url":"https://kake.com/minnesota-usda-differ-on-scope-of-snap-waiver-as-lawmaker-raises-fraud-concerns/article_5245897c-bd03-5fae-971c-0ddf90f1732c.html","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer","url":"https://messenger-inquirer.com/news/national/minnesota-usda-differ-on-scope-of-snap-waiver-as-lawmaker-raises-fraud-concerns/article_76c6f1d0-2a17-5f6b-be40-d284c7fbd766.html","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Daily Courier","url":"https://thedigitalcourier.com/news/national/minnesota-usda-differ-on-scope-of-snap-waiver-as-lawmaker-raises-fraud-concerns/article_657fd09b-ddb6-59d0-ae50-430c80cc3088.html","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"stonecountyenterprise.com","url":"https://stonecountyenterprise.com/news/national/minnesota-usda-differ-on-scope-of-snap-waiver-as-lawmaker-raises-fraud-concerns/article_dd323e45-11ec-5b0a-a42b-96f86c832536.html","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":0,"centre":33,"right":67},"count":{"left":0,"centre":2,"right":4},"totalSources":6,"untracked":0,"rated":6,"observedAt":"2026-09-17T19:30:30.661964+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-09-17T20:30:14.542Z","closedAt":null,"checks":2,"changes":1,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":[],"centre":["The two centre-rated digests reported that Minnesota is continuing to use a COVID-era waiver allowing SNAP applicants to provide verbal signatures by phone without an audio recording. They also noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture extended this waiver through June 30, 2028, and that state and federal officials appear to disagree on how broadly the waiver applies."],"right":["The four right-rated digests highlighted that Minnesota is continuing to use a COVID-era waiver for SNAP applicants, which allows for verbal signatures by phone without an audio recording. These reports also stated that the U.S. Department of Agriculture extended the waiver through June 30, 2028. A key point emphasised in these digests was the apparent disagreement between state and federal officials over the waiver's scope. One digest also mentioned that a lawmaker has raised concerns about potential fraud related to the waiver."],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"left","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"low":1,"high":3,"veryHigh":2},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":1,"independent":1},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"The Center Square","url":"https://thecentersquare.com/minnesota/article_79490198-c316-43c9-ae27-6dc4875f548a.html","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States","count":1},{"country":"Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States","count":1},{"country":"Wiggins, Stone County, Mississippi, United States","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"The Center Square","url":"https://thecentersquare.com/minnesota/article_79490198-c316-43c9-ae27-6dc4875f548a.html","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States","repostedFrom":"stonecountyenterprise.com"},{"name":"KAKE News","url":"https://kake.com/minnesota-usda-differ-on-scope-of-snap-waiver-as-lawmaker-raises-fraud-concerns/article_5245897c-bd03-5fae-971c-0ddf90f1732c.html","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":"stonecountyenterprise.com"},{"name":"Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer","url":"https://messenger-inquirer.com/news/national/minnesota-usda-differ-on-scope-of-snap-waiver-as-lawmaker-raises-fraud-concerns/article_76c6f1d0-2a17-5f6b-be40-d284c7fbd766.html","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":"stonecountyenterprise.com"},{"name":"The Daily Courier","url":"https://thedigitalcourier.com/news/national/minnesota-usda-differ-on-scope-of-snap-waiver-as-lawmaker-raises-fraud-concerns/article_657fd09b-ddb6-59d0-ae50-430c80cc3088.html","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States","repostedFrom":"stonecountyenterprise.com"},{"name":"stonecountyenterprise.com","url":"https://stonecountyenterprise.com/news/national/minnesota-usda-differ-on-scope-of-snap-waiver-as-lawmaker-raises-fraud-concerns/article_dd323e45-11ec-5b0a-a42b-96f86c832536.html","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:26:00.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Wiggins, Stone County, Mississippi, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"thedailybs.com","url":"https://thedailybs.com/2026/09/17/minnesota-usda-differ-on-scope-of-snap-waiver-as-lawmaker-raises-fraud-concerns","headline":"Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns - The Daily Bo Snerdley","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T16:33:32.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"low","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Minnesota SNAP waiver use debated by state and federal officials\", https://mediabias.news/politics/minnesota-snap-waiver-use-debated-by-state-and-federal-officials","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/politics/minnesota-snap-waiver-use-debated-by-state-and-federal-officials","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/politics/minnesota-snap-waiver-use-debated-by-state-and-federal-officials","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/minnesota-snap-waiver-use-debated-by-state-and-federal-officials","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/politics/minnesota-snap-waiver-use-debated-by-state-and-federal-officials.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}