Millions of Americans are facing a grim week as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, runs out of funds because of the Republican-engineered government shutdown.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that benefits will not be distributed in November, leaving more than 40 million people without the assistance that helps them feed their families.
At the same time, health insurance premiums are set to double for millions of Americans who rely on subsidized plans. The nation’s poorest are being crushed under a shutdown that has gutted lifelines such as food aid, rental assistance, and medical coverage —programs that keep millions afloat.
“Trump is intent on allowing SNAP benefits [to] run out in November. He is willing to take food away from 16M children, 8M struggling older adults and 4M people with disabilities,” social media user and racial justice advocate Morgan J. Freeman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 1 in 8 Americans rely on SNAP benefits to make ends meet. AND every dollar in SNAP Benefits creates $1.50 in economic activity. It helps the economy.”
While the government remains closed, President Donald Trump has directed hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to pet projects and personal indulgences.
He spent $300 million to build a new White House ballroom, demolished the East Wing without congressional approval or consultation with the Historic Preservation Committee, and rerouted $100 million to cover military salaries through a private loyalist — circumventing Congress entirely. His administration has sent $40 billion in aid to Argentina while Americans go hungry, and he has taken delivery of two Gulfstream G700 private jets at a cost of nearly $200 million.
Further, the Trump administration has refused to tap SNAP’s multi-billion-dollar contingency fund.
Despite the fund being explicitly established for emergencies, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the shutdown does not qualify because it was “manufactured by Democrats.” Her statement contradicted previous USDA guidance that the agency is legally required to use those reserves to maintain benefits during a shutdown.
Democratic leaders have blasted the move.
“This is perhaps the most cruel and unlawful offense the Trump administration has perpetrated yet,” said Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Angie Craig in a joint statement. “Freezing funding already enacted into law to feed hungry Americans while he shovels tens of billions of dollars out the door to Argentina and into his ballroom.”
‘Ripping Food Away From the Mouths of Hungry’ Americans
Even as Americans struggle to eat and pay bills, Trump continues to claim the shutdown gives him “an unprecedented opportunity” to shrink the federal government and eliminate programs he derides as “Democrat handouts.” SNAP, Medicaid and housing support are among those on the chopping block.
Contrary to the myths Trump’s allies promote, the Americans hit hardest by this crisis are not immigrants or urban minorities but largely white, working-class families living in rural counties that overwhelmingly voted for him. Nearly 79% of counties where food stamp use increased between 2010 and 2020 supported Trump in both elections.
According to the Pew Research Center, non-Hispanic white people make up 44.6% of adult SNAP recipients — more than any other group. Black Americans account for about 27%, while Hispanics make up roughly 22%.
The USDA’s own data show that most SNAP recipients are either children, seniors, or people with disabilities and 86% of benefits go to households that include at least one of those groups. Nearly all benefits go to families living below the poverty line.
Still, Trump’s policies have targeted these households. His administration’s “One Big Ugly Bill Act” earlier this year cut SNAP by an estimated $186 billion — the largest reduction in the program’s history. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was “ripping food away from the mouths of hungry children, seniors, families, women and veterans to provide massive tax breaks to billionaire donors.”
While grocery shelves empty and families line up at food banks, Trump is rebuilding the White House into a monument to himself.
As food assistance runs out and health premiums soar, the question haunting millions of Americans is not whether this government shutdown will end, but whether they will survive it.
“This is not just politics,” DeLauro said. “This is cruelty, and it is deliberate.”
