Democratic leaders like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called the SNAP benefit pause a “disgusting dereliction of duty that the Trump administration would knowingly rip food out of the mouths of 42 million children, seniors and veterans.”
Joining the Democratic Party blame game, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (USDA) posted a message on its website blaming Democrats for the upcoming Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits pause, taking effect Nov. 1, NBC News reports.
“Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times not to fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the message reads.
“These are our neighbors. These are our kids.”
Several states have warned residents that funding for November SNAP benefits could run out amid the shutdown.
According to The Hill, benefits administration duties are shared between the states and the federal government. Funding is given to the states each month, with close to $8 billion due in November.
After the agency claimed that contingency funds can be used only to respond to specific events, like natural disasters, Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), pushed back. “It is a disgusting dereliction of duty that the Trump administration would knowingly rip food out of the mouths of 42 million children, seniors, and veterans,” he said in a statement.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly joined in the sentiments from USDA, oddly speaking on alleged illegal immigrants. “Senate Democrats have shamefully played politics with our nation’s most vulnerable families to push healthcare for illegal immigrants,” she said. “They should reopen the government now to protect these crucial benefits that feed one in eight American citizens.”
Since the start of the shutdown, Trump-led agencies have used federal websites to shift the blame to Democrats, starting with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Some blue-sided leaders, like Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, accused the administration of violating the Hatch Act, which bans federal employees from using their official platforms to interfere with elections, over the website postings.
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Source: Black Enterprise
