The Democratic initiative would have required the Administration to pay for the entire program, compared to the half it has agreed to fund
The Republican caucus in the U.S. Senate on Monday rejected an attempt by the Democratic caucus to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the federal government shutdown. Hours earlier, the government had announced it would allocate $4.65 billion (approximately €4.032 billion) to cover roughly half of the program’s cost in November.
Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley attempted to pass a unanimous resolution to fund the program during the shutdown, which, at 34 days, is just one day away from tying the record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Specifically, their measure would have required the Department of Agriculture to fund SNAP for the month of November with $8 billion (€6.948 billion), according to the news website The Hill.
However, the Republican group opposed it, calling the initiative “a political maneuver by the Democrats (…) that makes no sense” and “is useless,” according to Senator John Barrasso.
“The Democrats knew their actions jeopardized food assistance. They were fully aware of it,” he added, emphasizing that opposition members in the Senate voted against the spending bill thirteen times. “If they truly wanted to help families in need, they would stop blocking an unamended interim funding resolution,” he argued.
The vote took place shortly after the Trump administration announced it would partially fund SNAP in November with a $4.65 billion (approximately €4.032 billion) allocation from the Department of Agriculture, following federal court challenges to the legality of the suspension of these benefits starting November 1, which was triggered by the government shutdown.
The Department of Agriculture indicated it would draw on the program’s Emergency Fund because it is “obligated to cover the benefits for 50 percent of eligible households,” according to CNN. However, beneficiaries will not receive the payments immediately.
For his part, Trump confirmed his intention to maintain the aid program, even with non-governmental funding. “It will be my honor to provide the funds, just as I did with the pay for the military and law enforcement,” he stated in a message posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.
