Trump’s Threat to Hold SNAP, Food Aid Hostage Despite Court Order Is A Dangerous New Low

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — On Tuesday, President Donald Trump openly flouted a court order and the rule of law, suggesting on social media that the federal government would not use contingency funds to pay for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) while the government shutdown continues. A federal judge ruled last week that the Trump Administration must use a contingency account to pay out SNAP benefits through November, in addition to seeking additional funding that could be used as a stopgap. On Monday, Trump’s USDA announced it would use those funds to pay roughly half of SNAP’s benefits through November, though following Trump’s announcement, and the White House later walked back the president’s comments on Tuesday. In light of the uncertainty around when or if SNAP funds will be released, Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro announced that Nevada Senate Democrats plan to introduce legislation to fund the Nevada Emergency Nutrition Assistance Program for SNAP recipients if a special session is called later this month.

More than 42 million Americans rely on SNAP for food aid, including around 500,000 Nevadans. The end of SNAP benefits in Nevada would cut off $90 million in federal funding, an amount that state leaders and food banks have warned cannot be replaced by diverting resources to them. It all comes as nearly 1-in-6 Nevadans are reportedly food-insecure.

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

“That Trump would choose to defy the courts in a time of crisis is one thing. That he would do it to deprive millions of people of the chance to eat is another. It’s not just an unconscionable choice that once again wields the pain and hunger of our neighbors like it’s a poker chip, it’s a threat to the very constitutional order that was designed to prevent the president – and president alone – from picking winners and losers. But in the worst case, losing now could mean literal starvation. That is not a choice for the president to make, and we demand more from our leaders, especially those in Trump’s own party, like Gov. Joe Lombardo, to force the Trump Administration to do what’s right. Now, our state senators, led by Senator Nicole Cannizzaro, stand ready to introduce legislation funding the Nevada Emergency Nutrition Assistance Program for SNAP recipients if a special session is called later this month—so families can eat during the holidays. Governor Joe Lombardo now has a choice: add this life-saving measure to his special session agenda, or keep providing political cover to a White House that’s turned hunger into a bargaining tactic. We demand he choose Nevada families.”

Barbara Hartzell, Executive Director of Native Voters Alliance NV, issued the following statement:

“When SNAP stops, families do not debate politics. They stretch meals. That means parents skipping dinner so their children can eat, and elders watering down soup to make it last one more night. These families were already making every dollar stretch. Now they are being pushed into hunger by political games they did not ask to play. President Trump has openly encouraged a shutdown to force his agenda, and Governor Lombardo is choosing to follow that lead. He will move quickly when powerful interests call, yet when Nevada families need help keeping food on the table, he looks away. Hunger is not a funding issue. It is a values issue. Leaders reveal what they care about by what they fight for. Nevadans are not asking for favors. We are asking for dignity. If Governor Lombardo cannot stand between families and hunger, he has no business claiming he stands for Nevada.”

Leo Murrieta, Director of Make the Road Action Nevada, issued the following statement:

“It’s clear that far Governor Lombardo and President Trump, along with his acolytes in Congress, have never really felt how much hunger hurts. 500,000 Nevada families are being forced to stand in food lines at churches and community centers or soup kitchens because these politicians refuse to do the right thing. They have let us know time and again that they are more than okay with children and seniors going hungry so long as it advances their political games. Parents are having to explain to their kiddos why they’re perhaps having the same meal for several days or skipping meals to ensure their own aging parents have an opportunity to eat. The President, Republicans in Congress, and our Governor need to step up and do right by these families, because no one should go hungry in our country.” 

Andrew Clarke, Revenue Coalition Manager on behalf of New Day Nevada, issued the following statement:

“Donald Trump ran on the promise of 'cheaper grocery prices.’ Yet 11 months into that pledge, it should not escape any Nevadan’s attention that he’s now engaged in defying court orders to keep food off the tables of everyday Nevadans, after cutting a $4.5 trillion tax cut for the rich this summer.

Every $1 invested in SNAP for children yields approximately $62 in long-term social and economic returns.  This special session, Nevada’s lawmakers should stop waiting for the White House’s permission slip and break with Trump’s bad bet — and invest in subsidies that support our most vulnerable.  We urge legislators to put the public good over corporate interests. Because putting food on the table isn’t just charity — it’s sound fiscal policy.”

William Moore, Civic Engagement Director of Mi Familia Vota, issued the following statement:

“Our families deserve better than this. Not respecting the rule of law is absolutely unacceptable. So, for this administration to do so when it puts hundreds of thousands of Nevadans and millions of Americans at risk of not being able to put food on their table, it becomes cruel. We are the working-class communities that still keep the lights on for all Americans, even as our government effectively carries out mass-scale wage theft. There is nothing fiscally responsible about exacerbating the hardships our neighbors are facing. As the judge ruled, SNAP needs to get funded now. Our demand is simple: release the funds Congress lawfully allocated to us. ”

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About Battle Born Progress: Battle Born Progress, through strategic communication efforts, empowers, engages and mobilizes Nevada voters to build a state where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed. We support, engage, and mobilize the progressive community through bold leadership, strategic communications, accountability, and education. We are on the cutting edge of new media and are the go-to source for progressive issues and advocacy for traditional media.