I can only imagine the protests that would erupt if SNAP gets cut. And the looting. It’s one thing to lay off well paid bureaucrats, it’s another to cut welfare benefits.
Strictly speaking, the benefits have not been cut. They just aren't being funded--and as of November 1, SNAP benefit payments will not be made.
Roughly 42 million Americans currently receive some level of SNAP benefits. Hopefully most of them are paying at least some attention to current events and have at least the benefit of advance warning. If they're able to use their benefits to stock up on non-perishable food items, the immediate impact of SNAP benefits not going out could be at least somewhat blunted.
Still, without funding, that's 42 million people who are going to have to rather rapidly adjust to what amounts to a broken federal promise. That's likely to produce at least some unrest.
The Democrats gamble is that the unrest will stick more to the Republicans and to Donald Trump than to themselves. Their rhetoric is that Trump is being heartless not deploying the programs contingency fund (which only covers 60% of a single month's payments). That could resonate with some people, but at the same time, the Democrats' blocking the "clean" CR to fund the government for a brief period while a full budget bill is completed is what's holding up SNAP funding.
The Democrats have done nothing since triggering the shutdown--they haven't put forward proposals, they haven't countered Republican proposals. Hectoring President Trump about not deploying contingency funds to deal with a funding crisis in SNAP that they helped cause while doing nothing to end the funding crisis by passing the continuing resolution is rank and shameless hypocrisy. Corporate media has been unusually evenhanded in reporting on the SNAP issue, and if corporate media isn't firmly on the Democrats' side in this they are going to get the worst of the public blowback.
Even if the Administration does deploy the contingency fund and use other accounting tricks to fund SNAP for November, that buys the program one month at most. With Democrats not budging off their original demands to end the shutdown, dipping into the contingency fund merely delays the inevitable.
Government shutdowns to my way of thinking are a failure by both Democrats and Republicans. They're supposed to be more mature and better stewards of the public fisc than this. However, the Republicans have at least attempted to fund military and government worker pay, and have offered compromise positions on Obamacare. They might not be doing much, but they are doing more than the Democrats.
The Republicans do not have to handle the shutdown well to prevail over the Democrats. They merely have to handle it less badly than the Democrats. Right now, they seem to be doing that. I don't see the SNAP blowback being particularly against the Republicans. The Democrats are going to catch at least some of it and may even catch most of it. That would weaken them even further and could leave them no choice but to surrender completely on Obamacare.
There were changes made to SNAP in the One Big Beautiful Bill. Reversing some of those changes might be part of the $1.5Trillion the Democrats are demanding.
However, Continuing Resolution passed by the House very explicitly simply continues SNAP funding at current levels.
An excellent assessment of a disgusting situation, Peter - thank you!
The mind fumes at politicians, thinking of disincentives to their current behavior. But let’s look on the bright side. The Democrats who continue to refuse to negotiate will continue to incur permanent contempt of the voters. And millions of young people growing up on WIC and SNAP handouts will truly incorporate the hard truth of life: don’t become dependent on government benefits! Those in power really WILL let you go hungry.
What will it take, to get Democrats in office to actually do their jobs? It is ridiculous that Republicans are always expected to give in, to a party that simply refuses to negotiate.
I can only imagine the protests that would erupt if SNAP gets cut. And the looting. It’s one thing to lay off well paid bureaucrats, it’s another to cut welfare benefits.
Strictly speaking, the benefits have not been cut. They just aren't being funded--and as of November 1, SNAP benefit payments will not be made.
Roughly 42 million Americans currently receive some level of SNAP benefits. Hopefully most of them are paying at least some attention to current events and have at least the benefit of advance warning. If they're able to use their benefits to stock up on non-perishable food items, the immediate impact of SNAP benefits not going out could be at least somewhat blunted.
Still, without funding, that's 42 million people who are going to have to rather rapidly adjust to what amounts to a broken federal promise. That's likely to produce at least some unrest.
The Democrats gamble is that the unrest will stick more to the Republicans and to Donald Trump than to themselves. Their rhetoric is that Trump is being heartless not deploying the programs contingency fund (which only covers 60% of a single month's payments). That could resonate with some people, but at the same time, the Democrats' blocking the "clean" CR to fund the government for a brief period while a full budget bill is completed is what's holding up SNAP funding.
The Democrats have done nothing since triggering the shutdown--they haven't put forward proposals, they haven't countered Republican proposals. Hectoring President Trump about not deploying contingency funds to deal with a funding crisis in SNAP that they helped cause while doing nothing to end the funding crisis by passing the continuing resolution is rank and shameless hypocrisy. Corporate media has been unusually evenhanded in reporting on the SNAP issue, and if corporate media isn't firmly on the Democrats' side in this they are going to get the worst of the public blowback.
Even if the Administration does deploy the contingency fund and use other accounting tricks to fund SNAP for November, that buys the program one month at most. With Democrats not budging off their original demands to end the shutdown, dipping into the contingency fund merely delays the inevitable.
Government shutdowns to my way of thinking are a failure by both Democrats and Republicans. They're supposed to be more mature and better stewards of the public fisc than this. However, the Republicans have at least attempted to fund military and government worker pay, and have offered compromise positions on Obamacare. They might not be doing much, but they are doing more than the Democrats.
The Republicans do not have to handle the shutdown well to prevail over the Democrats. They merely have to handle it less badly than the Democrats. Right now, they seem to be doing that. I don't see the SNAP blowback being particularly against the Republicans. The Democrats are going to catch at least some of it and may even catch most of it. That would weaken them even further and could leave them no choice but to surrender completely on Obamacare.
I may be wrong but I thought I read something about Democrats protesting a crackdown on SNAP fraud and a change in work requirement for benefits.
There were changes made to SNAP in the One Big Beautiful Bill. Reversing some of those changes might be part of the $1.5Trillion the Democrats are demanding.
However, Continuing Resolution passed by the House very explicitly simply continues SNAP funding at current levels.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5371/text#toc-H96E5EEC62EA8422A893E439F1471AE42
(Division A Section 111)
So that fight will come later .
Theoretically, the fight already happened and the Democrats lost.
They might want a rematch same as with the Obamacare subsidies, but the CR is not the place to have that.
There was a time when Democrats understood this.
Maybe next year after screaming, kicking, wailing, tantrum-throwing socialists are replaced by grownups.
I’m going to go wildly out on a limb and guess that government collection of revenue continues unimpaired by the shutdown?
Rob Peter to Pay Paul Politics
https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/rob-peter-to-pay-paul-politics
More like rob Peter and Paul politics.
With Congress, everyone gets screwed.
An excellent assessment of a disgusting situation, Peter - thank you!
The mind fumes at politicians, thinking of disincentives to their current behavior. But let’s look on the bright side. The Democrats who continue to refuse to negotiate will continue to incur permanent contempt of the voters. And millions of young people growing up on WIC and SNAP handouts will truly incorporate the hard truth of life: don’t become dependent on government benefits! Those in power really WILL let you go hungry.
Government types view the dependent class as a resource to be exploited.
Pawns to be sacrificed in pursuit of whatever agenda is in play at the moment.
Sadly true. Its rather twisted thinking on the Politicritters thats not limited to one party.
What will it take, to get Democrats in office to actually do their jobs? It is ridiculous that Republicans are always expected to give in, to a party that simply refuses to negotiate.
Politicians doing their jobs?
You have lofty expectations.