Trump Admin's SNAP Gamble Proves It Cares Little For Working People
Trump Admin’s SNAP Gamble Proves It Cares Little For Working People
As families grapple with a second week without SNAP funds, the Trump administration continues its bid to starve children and seniors. Some states began releasing partial funds on Monday even as the Trump administration begged for Supreme Court intervention.
The administration is begging for permission to deny people full SNAP payments while the government remains in limbo. Despite finding money to pay troops and ICE, the Trump administration continues to claim it can only give a fraction of what’s due to hungry families.
There’s always money for war on our communities, but never to feed the poor. Partial funding formulas used in states like Indiana mean some SNAP households will not receive benefits until the program is fully funded.
On Sunday, the 1st Circuit upheld the lower court order and reiterated the directive to release full SNAP benefits without delay. Instead of complying, Trump administration officials are hoping the Supreme Court will help them withhold taxpayer dollars.
After it requested a stay of the appeals court order, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson gave the administration until Monday afternoon to file a brief supporting its position. Plaintiffs have until Tuesday at 8 a.m. to respond.
Brown Jackson originally placed a temporary hold on Friday, allowing the 1st Circuit time to rule. The broad concern about the political jockeying and legal back-and-forth is understandable. But Brown Jackson’s ruling keeps the decision-making between her and the judges of the 1st Circuit, not the full Supreme Court. On Friday, she argued that the appeals court needed time to consider the appeal on its merits—and it did.
But even as people look to the courts and the rule of law to yield relief, it’s becoming increasingly clear this administration refuses to get it right. While frustrating for many, including the millions going without the needed assistance, the move was an attempt to end the back-and-forth from the USDA over whether funds would be released.
Several states that began releasing full funds in line with the USDA’s earlier promise to fund SNAP were later ordered to undo any efforts to secure SNAP funding. When people are focused on robbing and denying the poor to help the rich get richer, we all need to pay attention.
Not only is the Trump administration a horrible steward of our tax dollars, but it has also created the current crisis with unfunded SNAP benefits.
During the second-longest shutdown in 2019, the Trump administration and Congress passed a stopgap spending bill to ensure SNAP was not affected. Unfortunately, the current Republican leadership in the House and Senate did not have the same care for people as their predecessors six years ago.
While a potential deal to end the shutdown is in the works, we must continue to elevate the story of how these people continue to harm our families and communities. Despite the failures of the systems around us, Black farmers and Black-led mutual aid funds have been standing in the gap where the government has failed.
Capital B reported on the work of Black farmers in Mississippi and North Carolina who are working to ensure communities have access to food even as SNAP is paused. With food banks and other resources overburdened, Black farmers and other networks have stepped up to provide for communities and families caught in the crossfire.
Local and state leaders have also found ways to shift necessary funds to food banks and other resources to help families weather the storm.
As the Associated Press reported early Monday, the Trump administration failed to prepare for a likely shutdown. Even as deals are worked out to feed the people, it’s essential to keep our foot on the necks of decision-makers in Washington, D.C., making things worse for everyone.
“The record here shows that the government sat on its hands for nearly a month, unprepared to make partial payments, while people who rely on SNAP received no benefits a week into November and counting,” Judge Julie Rikleman of the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals wrote.
SEE ALSO:
Trump Administration Appeals Order To Distribute SNAP Benefits In Full
50-Year Mortgages, Credit Scores And Black Economic Slavery
Trump Admin’s SNAP Gamble Proves It Cares Little For Working People was originally published on newsone.com
