US Republican senators block push by Democrats to fund food assistance program

WASHINGTON

US Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic effort Monday to restore full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) after the program’s reserves were depleted during the ongoing government shutdown, which is now on its 34th day.

Following the lapse of SNAP benefits for roughly 42 million Americans over the weekend, Sen. Jeff Merkley and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led 44 Senate Democrats on Monday in demanding that President Donald Trump immediately release all available federal funds to prevent families from going hungry.

Yet Republicans blocked the measure after Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso objected on the floor, saying the straightforward way to ensure that SNAP benefits reach Americans is to reopen the government.

“If Democrats really wanted to help struggling families, they’d stop blocking a clean continuing resolution," Barrasso said.

Following the Republicans' rejection of the measure, Merkley accused Trump of deliberately putting vulnerable Americans at risk for political gain.

"President Trump has a new MAHA strategy—the ‘Make America Hungry Agenda’—using food as a weapon to inflict harm on vulnerable kids, seniors and families across America. It’s wrong on every level," he said.

Merkley pointed to statements from the Trump administration last month that indicated it had the authority to fund SNAP during a shutdown through an emergency contingency fund appropriated by Congress. However, he said the administration later removed the guidance from the Department of Agriculture’s website, effectively walking back the commitment.

"Rather than follow the law, Trump decided to use America’s most vulnerable families as political pawns and removed the policy from the Agriculture Department’s website. Children, seniors and vulnerable families are not bargaining chips—they are Americans who rely on this critical program," he added.

According to Merkley, the administration has since said it plans to fund only half of November’s SNAP benefits and that payments could be delayed “for a few weeks to up to several months.”

"This is outrageous—the president needs to use both the full authority of the contingency funds and the interchange authority to fully fund SNAP benefits for November so families and kids don’t starve," he said.