Approximately 42 million Americans—about one in eight people—who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program stand to go hungry after November 1, when benefits are scheduled to expire.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” reads a message explicitly blaming Democrats on the Department of Agriculture’s website.
A coalition of 23 attorneys general and three governors are fighting for the latter. They argue that the USDA not only has the funds to continue feeding Americans via SNAP through the month of November, it also has “both the authority and legal duty” to do so.
From the actual USDA website (had to use a VPN to access—clearly America doesn’t want other countries to witness their shame):
“Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”
I cannot think of a single developed country that would allow such blatant partisan propaganda to be on an official government website.
How the fuck is this actually permitted?
How the fuck is this actually permitted?
It’s not. Those messages are a blatant violation of a law known as the Hatch Act.
In theory, this is enforced by the office of special counsel, which is an independent federal agency. In practice, Trump fired the head of the OSC back in February, and appointed one of his cabinet officials to the role.
In theory, this was completely unlawful, as the OSC was setup by Congress post Watergate [0] specifically to be independent of the President. Indeed a lower court ruled as such; but was overturned on appeal. The problem is that the Supreme Court has recently embraced a view of near unlimited presidential power, including explicit rulings against the constitutionality of laws preventing the president from firing heads of independent agencies. [1].
The court also ruled that the president has near complete immunity to commit crimes (Trump v US 2024). That ruling gives the president literally complete immunity for “core” acts such as issuing pardons. So, he could pardon everyone involved.
In theory, the recourse here is impeachment. But there isn’t much stomach to impeach him again after his prior impeachments failed to remove him from office. Those impeachments being for: withholding military aid to Ukraine because they wouldn’t investigate the son of his political opponents; and directing a violent insurrection on January 6 to try and remain in power despite loosing the election.
[0] Where then president Nixon directed a break in of the headquarters of his political opponents.
[1] Although, I will note, the Court has made a point of clarifying that the Federal reserve is fine. Undoubtedly because they care about the amount of money they would loose in the economic carnage of that particular agency loosing independence.
Because Trump’s party controls all three branches of government.
Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program
Isn’t that distorting facts to the point that it becomes a blatant lie?
Since when has that ever stopped them?
It is, yes. It remains to be seen if that matters.
Because we voted a criminal into office and let him take control like a king. Laws, like the Hatch Act, are optional.
The issue isn’t the voters. The issue is that the US is not a democracy
Law is only law insofar as it is enforceable.
No one is really paying attention, least of all to the poor. That is how it is everywhere
The USDA has a contingency fund for these circumstances: when funding from the federal government slows down or, in the worst case, comes to a halt.
Trump is refusing to allow the USDA to dip into that fund which the USDA is legally entitled to use. Trump and his Admin are the sole reason this money isn’t being distributed out to Americans.
It’s funny because the Cons are lying by framing the shutdown as being caused by Dems. Trump withholding SNAP benefits is a crack in that lie.
Whether ordinary, low-income Americans realize that is yet to be seen. I’m sure the polls on the matter will continue to get worse against Cons.
I’m sure the polls on the matter will continue to get worse against Cons.
I highly doubt it. They aren’t that smart and they don’t consume the same news sources that the rest of us do.
They’ll hear nothing but republican lies. Even if they hear something sort of resembling the truth they’ll dismiss it.
Exactly this. They’ve already been given Democrats as the scapegoat, which is much easier for them to swallow than thinking outside of the propaganda they hear every time they look at a screen.
One million veterans use SNAP.
Now veterans get less assistance with homes, and veterans get worse medical care.
And now they will go hungry.
Well, I don’t know if veterans deserve anything more than anyone else. They are just people who decided that they were willing to fight and kill for oil companies. Just add them to the list of normal people who use the benefits
You were so right for this, it’s a shame .world loves genocide and murder this much.
Oh fuck this take. They were kids sold a lie by the powerful elite who had these goals. They get groomed and recruited out of ignorant conservative families then further brainwashed into a lifetime of authoritarian servitude. The GOP takes their entire lives away and lets them die early.
Some of the most liberal people I’ve ever met are former combat vets.
Some of the most conservative people I’ve met are vets that never saw a day of combat.
It’s a fascinating trend
Also broke kids. Historically, the military has been one of the only reliable ways to escape the cycle of generational poverty and/or gangs. The government has a vested interest in keeping poor people poor, because impoverished areas are prime recruiting grounds.
Thank you.
As crude and shitty as OP’s comment is, they’re right. Being gullible doesn’t mean you get more than others. All people deserve life, liberty and happiness, period.
You don’t get more life, liberty, and happiness just because you were conned into fighting a rich mans war.
We live in the information age, if you’re 18+, let’s be real, 13+, and you don’t stop to go on the Internet to find out whether or not you should be shooting people, you are fucking up.
There is one exclusion, if you’re a Nazi, we’ll bury whatever parts of you we can find after we fuck you up and you get nothing.
i just think it’s right that an organization takes care of someone that fought for it. ask other externalities excluded. i believe that is a responsibility that anyone that asks others to doubt for them ought to owe.
This ignores the intentional use of cyclical poverty to make the military the only viable option for many.
This gives them a “volunteer” army that they can do what they please with. Because people will always write them off because they “volunteered”.
You start providing basic Healthcare, food, and housing to the whole population and pretty soon the military won’t make their recruiting numbers.
It’s the age old story. Want to eat? Sell your body to the powerful
I understand that, we want that eliminated.
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Removed by mod
I remember you too. Not sure why you’re replying to a deleted comment though.
Also, this is your last 16 hours on Lemmy. Judging people from the comfort of not having to voice your own opinion so it can’t be judged.
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You know what dude. I already apologized for being short, and you’re going to come back after approaching and commenting on my shit attacking my character, and then accusing me of doing the exact thing you’re doing, EVEN AFTER I SCREENSHOTTED YOU DOING THE SHIT and then continue to fucking do it?
You’re out of your mind. Figure it the fuck out.
MY POINT IS EXACTLY WHAT I SAID. EVERYONE EQUAL ASIDE FROM NAZIS.
Reread what has been said, and if you have anything else to say after that, fucking read it again.
If you wanna chime in, I’d start with saying what you’re thinking.
I’m not saying theyre bad people or even that being conned into killing people is murder. I’m saying you shouldn’t be given separate rights. Everyone, and I truly mean everyone has the right to those things. There is nothing you can do that will make you more human or less human aside from being a Nazi.
Are you saying this opinion is wrong? If so, please elaborate.
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Well then you’re barking up the wrong tree. I didn’t say that. I said what I said, and it wasn’t that.
Ah, so they are just dumb and have no personal agency. Good defense.
I mean, I was a kid sold a lie by the predatory education system and I got in a whole lot more debt than they got paid to be in the military. Where is my Lifetime of low Interest rates? Where is my lifetime of somewhat pathetic medical care… Compared to zero medical care.
I don’t really care about the people who got brainwashed into being absolute fucking killer cunts. The United States should’ve learned this from Vietnam, when all those soldiers came back and no one wanted anything to do with them because… Guess what… They were the wrong ones.
Baby killers
Murderers
Just following orders
I don’t give a shit. Those kids wanted to kill people, and they were willing to kill people for practically nothing.
If you are a veteran, I hope that if you believe in heaven that you realize that you’re going to hell… Because breaking the Commandments includes not murdering for any reason whatsoever including for your country.
If you are a veteran, I hope that if you believe in heaven that you realize that you’re going to hell… Because breaking the Commandments includes not murdering for any reason whatsoever including for your country.
The Bible is pretty explicit that killing in warfare doesn’t count. The prohibition is specifically of murder. I’d ask if you were a Jehovah’s Witness, who do interpret the verse this way, but 99% of Christians and Jews would understand that commandment as only discussing killing out of warfare. You comment later that you are “playing to the Christian Reader” - this is something that absolutely would not work. (And why? Lemmy is like 90% atheist?)
Also - you get that the vast majority of people who join the military never kill anyone right? Not every soldier goes to the front lines, hell, the majority don’t.
Many people who join are young people who believe that they are actually protecting their country. Because, that’s what the military would ideally do. Yeah, in reality the US is a hegemon that does a lot of fucked up shit, but stupid 18 year olds don’t usually understand that. Someone whose body got fucked up because they believed that they were “protecting their country” because the media and their entire social world told them that should probably not be left in the cold.
And yeah, student loans are fucked too. Making this a “people who went to college” versus “people who went to the military” thing is the absolute dead opposite of class consciousness, and counterproductive as shit. I’m surprised you aren’t an .ml troll.
Edit:
Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages. — Luke 3:14
but 99% of Christians and Jews would understand that commandment as only discussing killing out of warfare
They would have to have this opinion though given the crusades, genocides, violence etc that this religion has perpetrated. Like this is basic cognitive dissonance stuff here.
Talks about being sold a lie all his life - believes In heaven. It’s like raiiiinnnnnnnnn.
On your wedding day!
It’s a free riiiiide…
Having zero empathy is nothing to announce proudly
Jesus…
Jesus is fake. Murder is real. No excuse.
Pretty weird for you to go through my comment history and call me a baby killer, hey.
Of course only a Christian could have such a warped view of Christian faith and doctrine.
Atheist but… Playing to the Christian Reader.
I think what they’re rightly pointing out is not that veterans deserve more than anyone else, but that veterans are often centered in political discussions on the right when discussing people that “deserve” anything for “free” that could help improve or even just maintain their lives, and that it’s hypocritical to then effectively backtrack on that.
Veterans should get the same access as everyone else to every single thing they need. If that access means nothing then veterans get nothing. A person who wants to fight and kill babies for the oil industry doesn’t really deserve additional things in my book. Those people can get really good rates on loans for houses. I’m fine with that, that’s your thing. That’s all you get. Stop complaining. Everyone has it hard. Oh you did not want the mustard gas maybe you should not have gone into the fucking army?!
Fucking based as.
Senator Warren posted this on her social media channels. How convenient of the administration.
The screenshot I provided is a post from X that says:
Donald Trump deleted this from the government website.
Let’s be clear: there’s funding available to cover SNAP benefits next month. Trump is stopping SNAP benefits because he wants to. He is forcing mommas and babies to go hungry.
She includes a screenshot with text from a gov website that includes:
OMB’s General Counsel provided a letter to USDA on May 23, 2025 stating that there is a bona fide need to obligate benefits for October—the first month of the fiscal year—during or prior to the month of September, thereby guaranteeing that benefit funds are available for program operations even in the event of a government shutdown at the beginning of a fiscal year. In addition, Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown. These multi-year contingency funds are also available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year. These activities include, but are not limited to, program policy and operations, financial management, and stakeholder communications.
Yes, I’m aware of Senator Warren’s own issues, but this is important to note.
Edited to include the words for those with readers.
Don’t post pictures of text
Thank you. I updated with text to explain for those with disabilities or inability to view the screenshot.
No audio file? Do you hate the blind?
That’s what an e-reader or screen reader does. That’s what the text is for. E-readers and screen readers are a way the blind access the internets, bruh.
A coalition of 23 attorneys general and three governors are fighting for the latter.
Yes, good. Not sure how all this works, but I hope a majority of these 42 million participate.
They argue that the USDA not only has the funds to continue feeding Americans via SNAP through the month of November, it also has “both the authority and legal duty” to do so.
I mean it’s such an obvious hostage situation. Holding the whole country hostage, not just poor people.
explicitly blaming Democrats
And a textbook DARVO. Like the Mafia boss saying “look what you made me do”.
“Stop hitting yourself America”
Still trying to understand how Kamala and even Biden could possibly be worse. Have a good day america the very one you voted for! Thoughts and prayers everyday!
Half the country is going to find out that nothing is going to happen. Thoughts and prayers, how is it October… Nearly November and we are still wondering about project 2025
So what everyone should roll over and accept fascism? Everyone should start guerilla fighting in the streets? Get fucking real
Well, you just listed the two options, and judging by your tone youve already accepted one of them.
The world isn’t black and white. All ideas can be taken to a destructive extreme. There are always more choices. Pull your head out of the sand.
It’s insane that attorneys general and governors have to prove that the supposedly-richest country on the planet can in fact afford some food for its citizens. How do you look at considerably poorer countries that don’t have problems feeding its people and go “Yeah, I’m not sure we can do that.”
This man is a plague upon the earth
Look, the ruling elites say let them eat cake. You like the Palestinians so much? Well now we are going to starve you like Israel does.
Perhaps this is the motivation they need to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.
US government, unironically, probably.
Where can I sign up?
That’s sweet, but nothing will ever happen.
