Copyright Augusta Free Press
As a cutoff of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) nears, Sixth District Congressman Ben Cline is trying to portray himself as a staunch defender of the program that helps feed more than 40 million Americans– including more than 30,000 families in the Sixth Congressional District. Why is Cline is giving an interview to a rightwing media outlet in Florida while holding only one very limited town hall meeting for his Sixth District constituents since November of last year? Cline continues to blame congressional Democrats for the standoff that has shut down much of the federal government since Oct. 1. He lied that Democrats were refusing to vote to keep the government open in order to demand “free healthcare for illegal aliens” while ignoring the Democrats’ insistence to maintain a tax credit that helps 22 million American citizens lower their health insurance premiums. Without the tax credit, many of those Americans could see their monthly premiums double or triple and millions would be forced to drop their health insurance entirely. In an interview with the rightwing NTD News, Cline said: “The fact [is] that Democrats haven’t agreed to just continue funding while we work out extraneous policy issues.” Millions of people losing health insurance is “extraneous,” Congressman? And remember that Cline proudly voted for Trump’s notorious Big Ugly Bill that will reduce SNAP benefits for food-insecure Americans by $186 billion over the next decade. Cline called this “a great victory for American families.” And one final thought on SNAP for Congressman Cline and every other elected official to consider:
