TAUNTON — Taunton City Councilor Kelly Dooner — the Republican candidate for Taunton’s state Senate seat — has gotten state and national media attention for her criticisms of the state agency that administers food stamps in Massachusetts.
In a press release on Tuesday, Oct. 15, Dooner said she would file legislation, if elected, to require the Department of Transitional Assistance to verify the social security numbers of anyone applying for food stamps. In an earlier press release, Dooner called for an audit of the department.
According to her press releases, Dooner is particularly concerned about the number of active EBT cards. According to information that the Department of Transitional Assistance provided to Dooner in response to a public records request she filed, in September 2024 there were 2,616,882 “active cards,” compared to 1,944,399 active cards in July 2023.
“This is a huge increase in one year’s time,” Dooner said of the 672,483 increase in the number of active EBT cards. “That’s why today I am asking the Auditor to immediately review this program.”