California Gov. Gavin Newsom tore into Trump for partying in Malaysia while millions of Americans are set to lose access to crucial food benefits.
“Donald Trump is literally dancing in Asia while 40 million people lose access to food,” Newsom wrote on X, after the president was spotted joining a procession of red carpet dancers after departing Air Force One. “Disgusting.”
The president began a diplomatic tour of Asia over the weekend, drawing harsh criticism for abandoning the U.S. while Congress remains deadlocked over the second-longest government shutdown in history.
As of next week, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – food stamps used by more than 40 million people – will no longer be distributed due to a lack of funds caused by the shutdown.
Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a contingency fund set aside to allow such programs to continue in the event of an emergency, the administration said it would not release the funds and that the reserve was intended only for “true emergencies,” such as natural disasters.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA announced on its website, while continuing to blame Democrats for the shutdown.
The contingency fund was created to provide support to Americans during unforeseen events, Axios reports. But according to the administration, the ongoing shutdown has been manufactured by Democrats and is therefore not ‘unseen,’ meaning the release of the funds would be illegal.
“People across the country are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of groceries skyrockets. Secretary Rollins and Director Vought’s answer is to illegally freeze all funding for SNAP,” Democratic Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Angie Craig said in a joint statement on Friday.
“This is perhaps the most cruel and unlawful offense the Trump administration has perpetrated yet—freezing funding already enacted into law to feed hungry Americans while he shovels tens of billions of dollars out the door to Argentina and into his ballroom,” they added.
“The president, his agriculture secretary, and his budget director need to stop playing politics with Americans struggling to afford food and release the SNAP funds that Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate overwhelmingly voted to provide.”
Between five and six billion dollars has been set aside by the USDA to distribute SNAP benefits to Americans, less than the $8 billion required to cover all payments, but enough to provide partial payments to the most vulnerable while the shutdown continues with no end in sight.
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