On Tuesday, officials from 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, sued the Trump administration for its decision to withhold the National Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in November due to the ongoing government shutdown.
According to CBS News, a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts is asking a Federal Judge to order the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide its benefits that are usually scheduled for November. While the USDA has thousands of emergency funds available, they argue that those funds are only intended to help people affected by natural disasters and “are not legally available to cover environmental benefits.”
Federal authorities dispute that argument, saying it violates the DRMANI provision and is a visible departure from traditional USDA policy. They were referring to guidance issued by the USDA during the 2018-2019 government shutdown, in which the Department said that “limited funding is available from withdrawals that cannot be used to provide February benefits.”
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“Closing SNAP benefits would cause harm to public health and well-being,” state officials wrote in their memo. “Ultimately, states will bear the costs associated with these things in meat. The loss of SNAP benefits leads to food insecurity, collective experience, reduced work, fatigue, stress and behavioral problems.”
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin are states that have filed lawsuits against the Trump Administration.
New York Attorney General and Trump informant, Letitia James, is among the officials who sued the administration. “Millions of Americans are going hungry because the federal government has chosen to avoid food aid that is not legally mandated,” James said in a statement.
“Snap is one of the nation’s most effective tools in the nation’s fight against hunger, and USDA has the money to keep it running.
The government shutdown began in early October after Senate Democrats refused to allow a temporary spending bill unless they extended health care costs covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Without that funding, monthly insurance premiums are expected to increase by 75 percent and could lead to millions of Americans being sold insurance.
Despite Republicans controlling the senate by a 53-47 margin, spending is needed to clear the 60-way limit to pass. Democrats have refused to vote for a spending bill that doesn’t include subsidies, and Republicans have refused to even come to the negotiating table, so here we are.
Like clockwork, the Trump administration and the USDA have touted the lack of snap benefits as a way to attack government shutdowns. “We are approaching a tipping point for Senate Democrats,” a USDA spokeswoman said in response to the lawsuit. “Continue to hold the farthest wing of the party or reopen the government. Mothers, children, and the most vulnerable among us can get a timely share of wic and snap.
It’s wild to send the messages of the Trump Administration down: “Mad you can’t eat? Blame the Democrats for trying to give you affordable health care!”
HOW TO CONNECT WITH FREE ORGANIZATION and the Republicans in Congress are going so the government shutdown will show how little the American people really care. They are willing to let millions starve in the name of expensive health care.
BREAKFUT:
What happens when Snap stops? What you should know and do to protect yourself
If the benefits of the snap are decided, the white appeal will eat itself
When Government Collides With Us: Snap Cuts Target Riffer Fearlival
