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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has posted a notice on its website saying federal food aid will not go out Nov. 1, raising the stakes for families nationwide as the government shutdown drags on.
The new notice comes after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November. That program helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA notice says. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”
The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is now the second-longest on record. While the Republican administration took steps leading up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits were paid this month, the cutoff would expand the impact of the impasse to a wider swath of Americans — and some of those most in need — unless a political resolution is found in just a few days.
The administration blames Democrats, who say they will not agree to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on extending expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say Democrats must first agree to reopen the government before negotiation.
Democratic lawmakers have written to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins requesting to use contingency funds to cover the bulk of next month’s benefits.
But a USDA memo that surfaced Friday says “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.” The document says the money is reserved for such things such as helping people in disaster areas.
It cited a storm named Melissa, which has strengthened into a major hurricane, as an example of why it’s important to have the money available to mobilize quickly in the event of a disaster.
Wait a minute here.
Did not Biden refuse to help Republican areas in the South East after a massive storm hit?
By golly I think you are right (get the pun?)
The previous administration played politics with food and aid. Where was the outrage from Chuckie and the rest of the Dems????? Where was the outrage from the drive by media?
Now a memo that states funds set aside for those in case of natural disaster by law cannot be spent to cover intentional political moves by the Dems who is outraged?
A clear and clean CR (continuing resolution) answers the problem. But that is not what Chuckie wants. He wants to pretend he still is the majority leader and is willing to hammer and destroy to get his own way.
If you voted for them you now see what you have created.
What I find almost humorous is that the Demon Rats believe their shut down is going to help them in the mid term election. I don’t think so.
All I can say is vote NO on Proposition 50. I signed a petition to put voter ID a priority on the ballot. Even if the illegals get a free driver’s license and they still register to vote, perhaps they will not be so willing to show their ID when voting the party of intolerant, the party of HATE, the party that initiated the KKK, the party of progressive/socialist Marxists, the party of anti-American rhetoric, you guessed it the DNC. Those that scream for tolerance has none!!!!
Vote No on 50 and put your signature on the new petitions to make voter ID a must when you show to vote. Say no to the mail in fraud ballots. Even if the illegals who get illegal CDLs are registered to vote automatically, they won’t be so hip to do so if they have to show identification. Give the party of haters a cup of shut the heck up. You know the party who initiated the KKK, the party of intolerant, the party of progressive/socialist/Marxists who abhor America yet won’t leave it, the party who screams for tolerance yet has none, the party of racists, the party of anti-Semitics, guessed yet, the party of the DNC!