President Donald Trump tied the continuation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to the government shutdown, assigning blame to Democrats for the stalemate.
"SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden's disastrous term in office ... will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!" the post on Truth Social read. "Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT."
According to independent analyses, SNAP spending rose sharply under President Joe Biden. One study noted that the benefit recalculations in 2021 raised SNAP allotments by about 21%, marking the largest increase in decades, Vox reported.
Republican analysts argue that these expansions lacked proper oversight and widened the program's scope beyond its original aim of assisting those truly in need.
Meanwhile, the ongoing government shutdown has had direct implications for SNAP benefits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced recently that without new appropriations, no federal food-aid payments would be issued on Nov. 1.
Senate Republicans said the only path to benefit continuation is reopening the government first, The Guardian reported.
Critics of the Republican-led approach warn of moral and practical ramifications, particularly for 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP monthly.
Trump's approach frames the debate as one of fairness and accountability. If Democrats unleashed "billions and billions" of benefit increases under Biden, it becomes a matter of fairness to demand that benefits flow only when the government resumes full operation.
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