Talk about furious. Talk about bullsh!t. Talk about the pettiness of Trump and his administration. Talk about he’s a smelly asshole, dementia-ridden idiot. Talk about what the hell he is doing to Americans across the country. Talk about the judges, who directed them to pay, but gave them an out on how much. From CNN:
The Trump administration said Monday that it will provide only half of the normal food stamp benefits for November by tapping into the program’s contingency fund amid the government shutdown. But recipients are not likely to see the payments immediately. Some $4.65 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s contingency fund will “be obligated to cover 50% of eligible households’ current allotments” for November, according to a sworn statement from a US Department of Agriculture official submitted in federal court.
Yea grrrr. 50 percent. That doesn’t cover all of it. But the judges directed them to pay full benefits or 50% if the administration chooses not to pull additional funds from another source. So they didn’t. They had excuses for not covering the full amount. Low-income children would go hungry at school. Okay, then *find another source*!!! It’s the government! They have access to all sorts of money, even in the shutdown. This writer may seem excessive, but DAMN the government has pissed me off. To continue:
In court papers filed Monday, the administration said it decided against pulling $4 billion from other sources of money to provide full benefits for November. Nearly 42 million Americans receive food stamps, providing households just over $350 a month, on average, as of May, according to the most recent USDA data. “USDA has determined that creating a shortfall in Child Nutrition Program funds to fund one month of SNAP benefits is an unacceptable risk … because shifting $4 billion dollars to America’s SNAP population merely shifts the problem to millions of America’s low income children that receive their meals at school,” he wrote. That funding source, which consists of leftover tariff revenue, currently contains nearly $17 billion.
It’s not like tariff revenue is going to stop. People in the US need products that come from overseas. They end up adding to inflation because they raise prices, but the tariffs are still going. Let’s not get into those right now. Screaming about two problems in one piece is counterproductive. Of course, this writer is screaming about the 50% and there is a lot she doesn’t know. To close:
Both judges said it was up to the agency’s discretion whether to access other money to enable it to provide full payments. The USDA had maintained that it could not tap into its contingency fund, stating in a memo that “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.” Also, it noted that the contingency funds are meant to pay food benefits in the case of natural disasters. But: “It shouldn’t take a court order to force our President to provide essential nutrition that Congress has made clear needs to be provided. But since that is what it takes, we will continue to use the courts to protect the rights of people,” said Skye Perryman, the group’s president and CEO, in a statement. “Rest assured, we will continue to fight so that people have the full benefits they are entitled to under SNAP.”
It bugs me. Thank heaven that our household doesn’t need these right now. But many, many households depend on this to be able to eat. And now, only 50% of what they need, and we know not when it will arrive. Yes, the government is shut down. Yes, Democrats are holding out for restoring the cuts to healthcare. No, the Republicans aren’t willing to work across the aisle until the government restarts. And if it does so without the restoration of subsidies, fat chance we’ll get them. Open enrollment started this weekend. So now, they have 50% of the food they need and skyrocketing premiums. It’s a double whammy. How many of them will go hungry *and* lose their healthcare?
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
RW are UNFIT to GOVERN!