"Last week, however, a scene worthy of Versailles unfolded: While Trump built his $300m ballroom, the US prepared to face widespread hunger. With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) funding scheduled to run dry due to the government shutdown, the Trump administration not only refused to prevent the crisis it fought in court to deprive 42 million Snap recipients of their grocery money. Thankfully, a federal judge ruled against the government and ordered that Snap payments proceed."
"America has always faced hunger, yet its leaders have long shown some responsibility to help poor people meet their most basic nutritional needs. That even this small measure of decency is seemingly a thing of the past signals the dawn of an unprecedented era of cruelty. Snap, or food stamps, is one of the core provisions of the nation's frayed social safety net."
Millions rallied across America in October against perceived autocratic tendencies. While Trump built a $300m ballroom, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding risked running dry due to a government shutdown. The Trump administration fought in court to stop SNAP payments for 42 million recipients; a federal judge ordered payments to proceed. The administration then announced funding of roughly half of typical benefits. About 2.4 million people risk losing benefits as $186bn in proposed SNAP cuts take effect. SNAP serves over 12% of the population, including 40% children and 30% seniors or people with disabilities; many recipients work yet remain eligible.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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