Millions of Americans who rely on food stamps will go hungry as the US government shutdown hits the one-month mark. Meanwhile, instead of rallying to support his people, Donald Trump partied in Mar-a-Lago at a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party with his rich friends and donors.
Gone in a SNAP while Trump parties
Around 42 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides financial assistance to those on low incomes. SNAP is what people more commonly know as “food stamps”, but the payment is actually put on a debit-style card.
It’s the biggest food assistance program in America, with around one in eight Americans receiving around $6 (£4.50) per day per person. It’s estimated that 83% of households receiving the benefit including children, older or disabled people – and that almost three quarters of recipients are on or below the poverty line.
However, on 10 October the USDA announced that due to the ongoing shutdown it would have “insufficient funds” to provide people with their vital SNAP payments for November, so the program was paused on 1 November.
According to Code for America, a non-profit which works with the government to improve access to safety net programs, three million people were set to receive their SNAP benefits on 1 November. The payment is spread out throughout the month, with payments happening every five days. By 10 November, 26 million Americans will have missed out on their payment if this continues.
Roaring 20s party while people starve. Really?
And while many Americans spent the weekend worrying how they would feed their families, their president was having a whale of a time at a Great Gatsy “a little party never killed nobody”-themed Halloween party surrounded by flapper girls and his billionaire mates.
Democrats criticised this crass display of wealth, with California congressman Ro Khanna tweeting:
Trump hosts a Gatsby party for billionaires while SNAP benefits expire for 41 million Americans today. Tax the rich. Feed hungry Americans.
While Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy put it best with:
The way he rubs his inhumanity in America’s face never ceases to stun me.
Meanwhile Governor of California Gavin Newsom tweeted:
Donald Trump hosted a Great Gatsby party while SNAP benefits were about to disappear for 42 million Americans. He does not give a damn about you.
Trump: name-calling and blaming democrats and immigrants, of course
Instead of offering assurance that Trump was going to help starving Americans, White House spokesperson Anne Kelly preferred to name-call and blame immigrants to the Independent:
President Trump has consistently called on them to do the right thing and reopen the government, which they could do at any time. Unfortunately, Gavin Newscum, Chuck Schumer, and Congressional Democrats would rather push health care for illegal immigrants than save American citizens from suffering
While judges are ruling that Trump is illegally blocking funding and ordering him to release funding, he’s being his usual helpful and caring self – by asking them to “clarify” how to fund the program, as if that isn’t his literal fucking job.
Trump said on Truth Social:
I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT
If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will be an honour to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay
A little party never killed nobody. Or did it?
As this weekend’s display shows, Trump literally would rather being partying than supporting vulnerable Americans to be able to feed their families – but hey, a little party never killed nobody, did it? Unless you’re a starving American, that is.
Featured image via the Canary
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