Ending the Shutdown Doesn’t Mean Ending Threats to SNAP, Americans in Hunger
After Congress voted to end the longest federal government shutdown in American history tonight, anti-hunger advocates warned that a deeply dangerous precedent has been set that will have long-lasting repercussions for Americans nationwide. Leaders from the national advocacy organization MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger noted that while it is critical that basic food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are funded for the full fiscal year, the Republican war against low-income Americans is far from over.
MAZON President & CEO Abby J. Leibman stated:
“This is no cause for celebration. Let us never lose sight of the fact that President Trump, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, and others weaponized SNAP and played games with the lives of 42 million Americans without a moment’s hesitation. And while those who depend on SNAP can now expect their regular benefits to resume, they and we will never forget that President Trump repeatedly went to court, even as the end of the shutdown was approaching, to avoid providing for their basic needs.
“America’s hunger crisis didn’t begin with this shutdown, and it won’t end with the passage of this bill. It has been clear since day one of the Trump administration that their goal is to kneecap SNAP and other anti-poverty programs, and this shutdown was just the latest step in their relentless assault on those who are vulnerable in America. We know that all of this is connected. If those who struggle can’t afford proper health care, they become even more vulnerable, driving many millions more into food insecurity. The cavalier, even purposeful stoppage of SNAP for the first time in history signals an Administration willing to throw them into a future of dire circumstances. SNAP recipients were acutely and painfully impacted by this shutdown. Who will be next?
“And while we are grateful that SNAP and other federal food assistance programs are now funded through September 2026, it is deeply troubling that the appropriations come with no guarantees or safeguards that they will be carried out by the executive branch. Time and again, the Trump administration has shown extreme hostility towards anti-hunger programs and a complete contempt for Congress’s power of the purse. Even during this government shutdown, we saw them refuse to spend SNAP’s contingency funds set aside by Congress for this express purpose. And now we’re just supposed to trust them? Trust, sadly, is in short supply for this administration.
“This is a dark period in American history for all those who believe that our federal government has a responsibility to provide for its citizens in need. President Trump and his cronies continue to show animosity towards those living in poverty, from the administration’s earliest attacks on recipients of basic needs programs, to the devastation of this summer’s Republican mega-bill that cut SNAP by nearly $200 billion, to literal court appeals refusing to support hungry families, and so much more. We are under no illusion that today marks an end to this cruelty, recklessness, and lawlessness, and we will continue to fight at every turn to ensure the dignity and basic needs of all those facing hunger in our country.”