After letting 42 million Americans, including nearly 131,000 Idahoans, go without federal food assistance over the weekend, former President Donald Trump threatened to defy a federal court order requiring his administration to partially restore SNAP funding to families in need. Even now, he is refusing to fund the full month of benefits.
The ruling came after Democratic AGs sued to force the administration to release emergency food assistance following days of chaos and confusion. Earlier today, Trump claimed food benefits would not resume until the shutdown ended, only for his staff to backtrack hours later.
Meanwhile, Trump and congressional Republicans refused to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits or fund SNAP before their November 1 deadline. Their inaction left 22 million Americans, including nearly 100,000 Idahoans, facing higher health care costs and families across the country struggling to put food on the table.
In response, Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea issued the following statement:
“Across our nation’s history, food assistance has never been revoked during a shutdown. But Idaho’s Republican leaders were silent when the Trump regime announced its cruel plan to do just that. To Trump and his complicit Republicans, taking food away from kids, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and parents facing low wages is not just a political game they are playing. It’s also a continuation of the SNAP cuts they wrote into their budget, which heaps giant tax breaks on billionaires while cutting off lifelines for families. Fortunately, Democratic attorneys general fighting for every American took the Trump administration to court and successfully forced the release of critical food aid. We know Idahoans want to live in a state where no child goes to bed hungry and families are treated with dignity and respect. We will keep working toward that vision.”
###