Republicans Make Hunger a Negotiating Tactic as SNAP Ends and ACA Premiums Climb

NEVADA — As ACA open enrollment begins November 1, many families face higher marketplace premiums due to the end of enhanced federal subsidies that have lowered insurance costs through the marketplace since 2021 through President Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”

At the same time, SNAP benefits are set to lapse on November 1 due to the federal government shutdown that Republicans have prolonged by refusing to return to the negotiating table. This would be the first time food benefits will lapse during a government shutdown as the Trump administration refuses to authorize the release of existing contingency funds. On Tuesday, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford joined 22 states in a lawsuit asserting that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has contingency funds available to continue SNAP during a shutdown and is legally obligated to do so. The plaintiffs argue that allowing SNAP to lapse would be an unprecedented interruption in benefits during a funding lapse.

Shelbie Swartz, Executive Director of Battle Born Progress, issued the following statement: 

“As open enrollment begins on Nov. 1 and health insurance premiums spike, the Trump White House and Congressional Republicans are continuing to force a government shutdown that lets SNAP go dark—turning hunger into leverage while families are choosing between a doctor’s visit and the checkout line. This is a deliberate decision from Trump and his cronies to use hunger as a bargaining chip to fund their tax breaks for the wealthy, as everyday Nevadans suffer. Contingency funds exist to keep meals on tables, yet the Administration withholds them, and Republicans in Congress look the other way.

In Nevada, Governor Joe Lombardo has joined that silence, refusing to demand the Trump Administration release SNAP funds and declining to deploy state dollars to feed Nevada’s families. The result is avoidable harm: rising health costs and empty tables, on the same day, for the same political gain.

The path is plain: Republicans must end the shutdown, restore ACA premium tax credits, and immediately release federal SNAP funding. And until they do, Governor Lombardo should use state resources to keep food assistance flowing. Nevadans deserve a governor committed to feeding families and lowering health care costs — not one that turns a blind eye to abuses from the top of our government.”

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