WASHINGTON: Nearly 42 million people are set to lose food aid due to the second-longest US government shutdown, as Democrats and Republicans in Congress continue to blame each other for a weeks-long legislative stalemate.
Democrats argue the agency is legally required to spend the roughly $5.5 billion in contingency funds to maintain at least a portion of the benefits.
“The Trump administration is weaponising hunger as a political bargaining chip,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat overseeing food aid funding. “When it comes down to it, this is a choice.”
Republicans say Senate Democrats are responsible for the shutdown because most have voted 13 times against a stopgap bill to reopen government, called a “CR” or continuing resolution, to force concessions from the Republican majority on healthcare issues.
“The Democrats should vote for a clean CR to open government, and that’ll take care of all these things,” said Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota, the top Republican in charge of food aid appropriations. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget did not respond to a request for comment.
Americans in every state rely on federal benefits. Of the top five states with the highest per capita SNAP beneficiaries, who represent more than 15 per cent of the population, three are represented by Republican senators: Louisiana, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.
This week, Republican Senator Josh Hawley pushed a standalone bill to fund SNAP in November, which garnered some bipartisan co-sponsors by Tuesday, followed by Senate Democratic leaders announcing their own version.
However, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune questioned why the chamber should vote on such a bill after a similar targeted bill to pay federal workers during the shutdown failed last week.
Legal U-Turn at the USDA SNAP benefits have been distributed in past shutdowns, including the longest in history during Trump’s first term.
At the time, Trump’s USDA officials argued to Congress’s nonpartisan watchdog, the Government Accountability Office, that contingency funds could be used for benefits.
“That’s just a red herring,” said Senator Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat, about the department’s message.
News contributed by Pakistan Today.
