A new U.S. Department of Agriculture memo makes clear that Donald Trump is unnecessarily ripping away crucial SNAP benefits from 42 million Americans, including 130,900 Idahoans, which are set to cease on November 1. Trump has already made the largest cut to food assistance in history, and now he is continuing his push to gut SNAP through the same reckless cuts included in his Republican budget. This time, he is refusing to authorize food assistance payments, even though the Department of Agriculture has $6 billion in contingency funds available to keep families fed. Members of Congress from both parties have called on the administration to use those funds, but Idaho’s Republican delegation has stayed silent. Trump has the power to make sure families continue receiving their benefits, but he would rather let families go hungry and keep the government shut down to double health care premiums for nearly 100,000 Idahoans.
In response, Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea issued the following statement:
“The Trump regime is more focused on ballrooms and billionaires than on making sure Idaho families can put food on the table. His decision to withhold food assistance rather than access $6 billion available in contingency funds is cruel. It will hurt children, veterans, seniors, Idahoans with disabilities, and countless working families. And Idaho’s Republican leaders are complicit. Russ Fulcher, Mike Simpson, Jim Risch, and Mike Crapo have all refused to lift a finger as food benefits are stripped away from Idaho families. Governor Brad Little flew to Washington, D.C., last week and came back empty-handed. He made zero effort to protect nearly 100,000 Idahoans whose health care premiums are about to double and took no action to ensure families can afford groceries. Idahoans deserve leaders who will fight for them, not politicians who treat Trump’s approval like it matters more than feeding Idaho families.”
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