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As the shutdown continues, SNAP benefits are scheduled to expire for millions of Americans on November 1. To counter this, some Democrats are pushing a hill designed to keep the funding floodgates open.
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From POLITICO:
The legislation, led by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), could draw Democratic support away from a rival bipartisan plan by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), which pushes USDA and the Treasury Department to fully fund November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — the nation’s largest anti-hunger initiative.
Luján’s bill, on the other hand, would require the administration to fund both SNAP and a separate food aid program serving low-income women and children. It would also require that states be reimbursed for funding benefits during the shutdown.
Most of the Democratic caucus, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), have signed onto the latest legislation, though it notably has yet to pick up any Republican co-sponsors.
POLITICO notes that, if SNAP benefits do expire, it would be the first time in modern history. According to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, it would cost the USDA $9.2 billion to fund “SNAP benefits, administrative costs and nutrition block grants for U.S. territories” in November—money the Secretary says her department does not have.
Senator Luján, the standalone bill’s sponsor, challenged this claim. He said in a statement, “Let me be clear: the Trump administration has the authority and the funds to keep SNAP running.”
GOP leaders, meanwhile, do not seem keen to vote on the bill. Speaker Johnson reportedly called it a “waste of time” to vote on standalone funding bills during a government shutdown.
With SNAP benefits set to expire and the government shutdown entering its fifth week, let’s pray!
How are you praying about SNAP and the shutdown? Share your prayers and scriptures below.
(Excerpt from POLITICO. Photo Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
