Trump was blamed for blocking food aid to low-income families

Let’s put politics aside, as if that were possible, and see how the craziness of the past few days is affecting people.

A week ago, President Donald Trump announced that the 42 million Americans enrolled in the SNAP nutrition program would not receive their benefits — against the backdrop of a government shutdown now in its 40th day.

This comes against the backdrop of millions of federal workers who have not been paid as the shutdown continues — and many of them are living paycheck to paycheck.

This comes against the backdrop of Trump hosting a lavish Great Gatsby-themed Mar-a-Lago party, where guests in formal attire watched the opera and feasted on blue cheese mousse, sliced ​​beef fillet, seared scallops and Trump chocolate cake.

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MAKES WIDESPREAD ABUSE OF SNAP AS FUNDING EXPIRES DURING THE SHUTDOWN

Meanwhile, a federal judge ordered the government to resume SNAP benefits, which cost $8.5 billion a month, but the Supreme Court gave Trump time to appeal.

And when at least nine states said they would pay for SNAP benefits during the crisis, Trump ordered them to “immediately reverse any effort to provide food stamps to lower-income families” — or risk financial penalties.

Let’s see: what does the president look like?

I hate this word, but what are the optics of this determined effort to prevent these benefits from reaching hungry families?

When a wealthy donor friend, Timothy Mellon, heir to the banking and railroad industries, offered $130 million to ensure U.S. troops would be paid during the shutdown, Trump jumped at the chance.

After all, Trump’s tax cut was aimed at the wealthy.

After all, Trump has further reduced capital gains taxes on home sales, which will mainly benefit the wealthy and wealthy, allowing many to pay zero or a reduced rate on these sales. If you are completely unaware of this, you probably won’t qualify.

TRUMP ADMIN WARNS 42 MILLION AMERICANS COULD LOSE FOOD STAMPS IF SHUTDOWN LONGS

After all – this was perhaps the weirdest part – Trump said that Obamacare is so terrible that he wants to send people $2,000 checks so they can buy their own insurance.

But where would they buy it if not from an insurance company? And what would they do if the stock market plummeted? There’s a reason that privatization of health insurance never went anywhere.

So to (inevitably) get back to politics: how does all this help Trump?

I get the feeling he’s trying to ratchet up the pain level so Democrats will end the shutdown on his terms.

A federal judge ordered the government to resume SNAP benefits, which cost $8.5 billion a month, but the Supreme Court gave Trump time to appeal. (J. Scott Applewhite, file/AP photo)

Democrats, who have made rising Obamacare premiums a central part of their policy — and fear millions will lose coverage unless expiring subsidies are extended — have held out longer than anyone expected.

For what it’s worth, both sides deserve a lot of blame for failing to keep the lights on during this endless blame game, instead of working out a compromise, which we pay them for.

But don’t Trump and JD Vance, who called the judge’s order “absurd,” look like they don’t care if millions of families go hungry, or get food from dumpsters?

Seriously, is there an alternative explanation?

DOJ ACCUSES FEDERAL JUDGE OF MAKING ‘MOCKERY OR THE SEPARATION OF POWER’ IN SPEEDY APPEAL

Blaming the other side is fine for the usual political fun and games. But do you do that during these kinds of self-induced crises?

With the opposition coming out with accusations of brutality, is there a nine-dimensional chess level at which this helps Trump?

Trump says former President Joe Biden “went absolutely crazy” and handed out food stamps to “anyone who would ask for them.” So has this liberalism gotten out of hand? I decided to do a little digging.

Turns out there are income limits, and those in the program must meet work requirements. Furthermore, the oft-repeated charge that illegal immigrants receive SNAP benefits is simply not true, even though there are exceptions for children and refugees. (Of course, you can never completely rule out cases of fraud.)

“SNAP/EBT Food Stamp Benefits Accepted” appears on a screen at a Family Dollar Stores Inc. store on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. in Chicago. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

During the pandemic, as unemployment soared, Congress passed an emergency measure that temporarily suspended the work requirement for adults without dependents who were able to hold down a job. This happened under… President Trump, during his first term, in 2020.

Under a deal with Republicans in 2023, work requirements for SNAP were increased. That happened under…Biden. Some Republicans, meanwhile, said the measure did not go far enough.

Incidentally, SNAP participation peaked in the fall of 2017, under Trump, which was tied to hurricane emergencies.

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Sorry about the green eyeshadow fuss, but I thought it was worth more research.

Most people don’t have the time or interest in digging into the details. They just know they won’t get the food assistance they expected, and that millions of other lower-income families won’t either. And especially with his dogged determination to stop the states from helping, many are holding Trump responsible.