Copyright staradvertiser
Two judges in two separate federal courts deserve an infinite amount of snaps for their wise rulings on Friday that say the Trump administration must pay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to the 42 million Americans who rely on the monthly food help. Further, using emergency funds for November’s SNAP payments cannot be slow-rolled, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture seems wont to do: it’s telling states that SNAP allotments will be cut by half, a move that would delay food-aid benefits by weeks, perhaps even months. Harsh, and unacceptable. So it’s necessary that several cities and nonprofits on Tuesday filed a new court motion, to have the USDA push out the full $8 billion in November benefits. “[The Trump administration’s] decision not to provide full SNAP benefits — even though they have funds available to do so and even though switching to partial payments at this late date will cause devastating delay — is arbitrary and capricious,” the plaintiffs rightly state. Let’s hope the motion prevails in today’s scheduled court hearing — on behalf of struggling citizens who need food, including Hawaii’s 161,400 SNAP beneficiaries who saw “food stamps” abruptly halted Saturday along with the rest of the nation. Indeed, the federal confusion over SNAP is ratcheting concerns across the country. It’s one of the biggest impacts set off by Congress’ deadlock over federal spending that has shut down the government, stymieing normal budget appropriations. In addition to hurting SNAP beneficiaries directly, this debacle constricts food-aid capacity for thousands of others now on furlough. Additionally, essential workers such as air traffic controllers are working without pay during the shutdown, now in its 37th day and the longest in U.S. history. Shameful. Amid all this turmoil, it’s at least heartening to see Hawaii acting on better instincts. Last Thursday, the state government moved swiftly to bridge the food-aid cliff that arrived Saturday when SNAP benefits halted: the state vowed $250 in emergency relief payment per eligible SNAP individual, to be loaded onto electronic transfer cards by the middle of this month. Federal reimbursement will be sought on this $42.2 million outlay. Also good to see last week: the state’s launch of the Hawaii Relief Program with $100 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding, to provide up to four months of housing and utility assistance for families with children. Hawaii’s community at large, too, is rising to the occasion in this time of need, especially the food nonprofits. The Hawai‘i Foodbank has held numerous emergency food distributions — and its largest event yet will be today at Aloha Stadium, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., serving 2,000 households. On Friday, food for 500 households will be distributed at Hawaiian Airlines’ ‘Ohana Hangar from 8 to 10 a.m.; and on Saturday, at Keehi Lagoon Memorial Park from 10 a.m. to noon for 500 households. Registration is required to receive the food — see hawaiifoodbank.org/shutdown — and more distributions are sure to come. Anyone who’s able to help is urged to do so. This week’s Kokua Food Drive offers a prime opportunity, and it’s simple: All public libraries statewide are serving as collection hubs for nonperishable food donations through Friday (except for space-limited Kaneohe and Wahiawa). The federal threat of withholding vital food assistance is unconscionable — using people’s poverty and hunger as a political pawn is not the American way. Congress needs to break its logjam: every state’s SNAP constituents, and communities, are being affected. Health and nutrition are at stake, of course — but it’s also worth noting that every SNAP dollar generates $1.50 to $1.79 in multiplier economic activity, with money spent at grocers and food outlets circulating forward to jobs and suppliers. What’s happening with SNAP is an absurd Rube Goldberg operation come to life, government-style. Getting food benefits out to the most needy Americans should be brisk and efficient, but has now turned convoluted — as “deviously complex and impractical” as a Goldberg contraption. Sadly, the consequence of SNAP difficulty layered atop existing hardships may well cause millions of struggling Americans to go hungry by month’s end.
