Copyright newsweek
A woman in New York State who voted for President Donald Trump says she regrets her vote after the federal government shutdown disrupted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Betty Szretter, 63, is a caregiver for her daughter who relies on SNAP. “I think deep down he wants to help the country with things like food insecurity,” she said. “But now he is busy out of the country and demolishing the White House. I know that is being paid for with private funds, but those could be used to help people.” “It all seems very selfish,” Szretter said. Why It Matters The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides around 42 million low- and no-income Americans with federal funds to buy groceries. The benefits have been affected by the federal government shutdown, which has now entered its second month, and has sparked mounting criticism of the Trump administration. A SNAP sign pictured at a retailer in Peru, Indiana in May 2018. What To Know Buffalo resident and Trump voter Szretter told NBC News that she would now prefer a Democrat in office to “protect benefits he wants to cut.” Her daughter, Hannah Szretter, 26, told the network that she relies on SNAP to help her maintain a diet to control her Type 1 diabetes, as she has a mental health disorder that prevents her from working. “I need these benefits for my food. If I don’t get the food, I won’t be able to control my numbers,” she said. “If you don’t get it taken care of, you can lose toes or limbs, or could go blind.” The United States Department of Agriculture initially said in a notice on its website that “the well has run dry” and that no SNAP benefits would be issued on November 1 due to the shutdown. After court orders, the department said on Monday that it would use $4.65 billion from a contingency fund to pay for half November’s food stamp benefits. But USDA official Patrick Penn told the court that some states may not see these benefits for weeks or months, due to variation among state systems. What People Are Saying President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday: “I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT. Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.” In a court filing about the payments from the contingency fund, the USDA said this meant: “No funds will remain for new SNAP applicants certified in November, disaster assistance, or as a cushion against the potential catastrophic consequences of shutting down SNAP entirely.” Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said in a statement: “It is not enough to do the bare minimum—the administration should stop playing politics with hunger and use all available resources to ensure Americans can put food on the table.” What Happens Next It remains unclear when the federal government shutdown will end, and uncertainty remains over when the Department of Agriculture will be able to resume full SNAP payments.
