SNAP deadline becomes Democrats' sharpest leverage

Forty-two million Americans face the loss of SNAP benefits on November 1, prompting allegations from Democrats that the Trump administration is deliberately "weaponizing hunger." Democrats characterize the impending aid shortage as a Republican tactic designed to pressure them into shutdown negotiations, making the benefit freeze central to their reopening message. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the administration of turning millions of vulnerable people into political pawns by ordering the cessation of benefits despite available funds. Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee Angie Craig asserted that refusing to use appropriated funds constitutes a violation of the law. The controversy has intensified with a lawsuit filed by 25 states and the District of Columbia against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for allegedly illegally withholding funds. The lawsuit notes this is the first time in the program's history that benefits will be stopped, despite the USDA possessing $6 billion in contingency funds that could be utilized. Plaintiffs also identified another funding source the USDA recently tapped for the WIC program, which could also sustain SNAP. The intrigue deepened as the USDA's own, now-removed, shutdown-funding plan suggested the contingency funds could be used. Notably, the Trump administration successfully used contingency funds to maintain SNAP during the 2018-19 shutdown. However, the Office of Management and Budget spokesperson countered, claiming Democrats chose to shut down the government knowing SNAP funds would soon deplete, accusing them of using families as pawns. The USDA emphasized that Senate Democrats must decide whether to continue holding out or reopen the government so vulnerable populations can receive critical nutritional assistance. The combination of frozen SNAP, WIC, and home energy benefits due on November 1 is anticipated to exert significant pressure on Congress to expedite the government reopening. Food banks are simultaneously preparing for the substantial increase in demand from the 42 million Americans who will be without SNAP. The lack of clarity around the administration's change in stance regarding the contingency fund remains a key point of contention.