This is a dirty trick but then we are used to that from this group of dirty tricksters. Trump and the GOP need a powerful talking point and they have managed to arrive on one, by claiming that there will be “insufficient funds” to pay for SNAP after October 31. So the poor better stock up on Halloween candy because they may need to survive off of it. Do you believe such chicanery? And no, I’m not sure if it’s legal. This story just broke and I would tend to believe that SNAP would come under essential services and those benefits would continue while the government is shut down. Evidently not. Axios:
Why it matters: It’s the administration’s latest warning of painful consequences if the shutdown continues, as military service members are set to miss their first paycheck and federal agencies begin mass layoffs.
- “As stated in our lapse of appropriation correspondence dated October 1, 2025, SNAP has funding available for benefits and operations through the month of October,” Ronald Ward, the acting associate administrator of SNAP, said in a letter to state agencies viewed by Axios.
- “However, if the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation.”
State of play:Â The letter directs states not to begin the process of distributing benefits to SNAP recipients’ electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards for November “until further notice.”
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“Considering the operational issues and constraints that exist in automated systems, and in the interest of preserving maximum flexibility, we are forced to direct States to hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to State EBT vendors,” the letter says.
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A person familiar with the matter told Axios that, if the cards were loaded up, it could violate the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from spending money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress.
Letting people starve to death, particularly at the end of the year in November and December, is egregious. But expect it to happen. And I wonder if anybody who misses a SNAP payment will have the common sense to realize that the Republicans have a unified government now and they shut down the government, not the out of power Democrats. I doubt it.
Trump is a master of propaganda and this is his latest ploy. Get ready for fireworks. This is truly down and dirty. The people who get food stamps are the most vulnerable people in our society. Food stamps are not easy to get and they dole out small amounts sometimes. I remember when I first became disabled that my food stamp allotment was $15 a month, if you can believe that. So I would save up four or five months worth of benefits and then go buy a proper amount of groceries.
This is the most vicious move I’ve seen Trump make and that is saying something.
Greed, Lust, Wrath, Envy, Pride, Gluttony, and Sloth are the seven deadly sins. Who knew baby huey’s gestalt could be summed up so succinctly?
I’m three, probably four inches taller than Trump but I’m old and fat and have trouble getting around. I tried to get in touch with a couple of acquaintances from Opera Workshop back at my alma mater (SIU-Carbondale), one of whom became it’s Director and the other a piano player who retired to somewhere in Raleigh. Jeanine and I always were friendly but Maggie was kind of standoffish. Via FB messenger I suggested pooling resources to dress and make me up like Trump to perform The Seven Deadly Virtues from Camelot. Take a listen and tell me it doesn’t fit Trump to a T.
A very succinct summation of All Things Trump! Thanks, Denis