Canned goods on grocery store shelves. (Photo: Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
WASHINGTON — The stakes of the ongoing government shutdown rose Monday as the U.S. Department of Agriculture doubled down on its stance that food benefits for November cannot be paid and the federal workers’ union pleaded with lawmakers to pass a stopgap measure.
As the government shutdown entered its 27th day, President Donald Trump’s administration tried to augment pressure on U.S. Senate Democrats to approve House Republicans’ transient government funding bill, refusing to utilize USDA resources to extend key food aid benefits to the most vulnerable Americans.
The USDA confirmed this over the weekend will not follow its own contingency plan – which the department removed from its website – to utilize its multi-year emergency fund to cover food aid costs for more than 42 million people in November.
The department also posted a fiery message on its website blaming Democrats for the loss of benefits, and House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Democrats to approve a transient funding measure to restore food aid.
Democrats voted against the GOP’s short-term spending bill to draw attention and force negotiations on tax breaks that will expire at the end of the year for people who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace.
“In summary, the well is dry,” says a banner on the USDA website. “At this time, there will be no benefits awarded on November 1. We are approaching a turning point for Senate Democrats.”
The banner falsely claimed that Democrats’ sole goal was to provide health insurance to immigrants in the country without legal authorization and to transgender patients.
SNAP emergency reversal
But the move marks a departure from the administration’s own policy, outlined in a Sept. 30 emergency plan on the eve of the shutdown, reported by State Newsroom reported on Friday.
The plan details how the agency will utilize the emergency fund provided by Congress to continue benefits. The fund holds about $6 billion, or about two-thirds of monthly SNAP benefits, which means the USDA will still need to shuffle an additional $3 billion to cover the remainder of November.
Hundreds of Democratic lawmakers and the top Republican appropriator in the Senate, Susan Collins of Maine, pressed the USDA utilize the emergency fund.
Democrats such as New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker have also criticized the Trump administration for refusing to utilize its resources despite contradictions in its own September 30 emergency plan and the shuffling of funds for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC.
“We know Trump has the resources to continue SNAP and other programs like WIC,” Booker said. “The weaponization of food aid is, simply put, a new and disgusting level.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed that sentiment in a speech on Monday.
“The administration is deliberately making the decision not to fund SNAP this weekend,” the New York Democrat said. “Emergency funding already exists. The administration simply chooses not to use it.”
The USDA did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Millions of vulnerable people, such as those with low incomes or disabilities, rely on SNAP. About 40% of SNAP beneficiaries are children 17 years of age and younger.
The EU calls for a transient break
Another form of pressure on Democrats came Monday from the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, calling on lawmakers to reach a deal to reopen the government.
As a disclaimer month is comingmost of the approximately 2 million civilian federal employees they have already missed their paychecks.
AFGE is typically more politically aligned with Democrats and held off on publicly advocating for an interim solution until Monday, when union president Everett Kelley called on Congress to end the government shutdown and pass a resolution to resume funding.
“As people who serve this country are waiting in line at food banks after missing their second paycheck due to the shutdown, they are not looking for a partisan spin” – Kelley – wrote in the statement. “They are looking for the wages they have earned. The fact that they are being cheated out of this is a national disgrace.”
Johnson added that he hopes a recent announcement by a union representing 800,000 federal workers will prompt Senate Democrats to approve a transient recess in the House.
“They understand what the reality is,” he said.
Johnson defends the USDA’s move
During a morning news conference, Johnson defended the USDA’s decision not to utilize the emergency fund for SNAP.
The USDA argues that these funds can only be used in the event of natural disasters or similar emergencies.
Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, agreed with that argument.
“It certainly seems reasonable to me,” he said. “Emergency funds are not currently legally available to cover benefits. The reason is that it is a limited source of funds. It was appropriated by Congress, and if they move funds from other sources, it will immediately take them away from school meals and infant formula. So… it is a trade-off.”
USDA funds were reshuffled earlier this month to several nutrition programs, including WIC, the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Food Program for Children and Adults.
The states are getting mixed up
Countries are demanding answers to the question of why the USDA withheld SNAP benefits. On Friday, 23 state attorneys general sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins questioning the agency’s legal basis for withholding SNAP benefits.
As federal funds droughty up, states may decide to augment spending on food aid,
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said Monday she would “accelerate” $30 million in state food aid to supplement SNAP benefits.
Johnson said that if Senate Democrats are concerned that SNAP benefits will not be available in November, they should pass the House bill on transient government funding.
“The best way to get SNAP benefits paid on time is for Democrats to end the shutdown, and that could happen now if they show a little backbone,” Johnson said.
