Copyright truthout
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website features a new header message that informs users of the current shutdown and blames Democrats, immigrants and transgender people for prolonging the stalemate on funding the federal government — specifically the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps. Several other government websites, which are managed by the executive branch, feature similar messages blaming Democrats. The USDA’s site, however, is unique in that it includes disparaging language and misinformation regarding immigrants and trans people in its blame game tactics. The message frames congressional Democrats as having “voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program.” However, Democratic lawmakers have encouraged the Trump administration to continue funding the program, which feeds millions of people with lower incomes, including children and those with disabilities, through emergency contingency funds, which the White House is refusing to do. “Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01,” the USDA site reads. USDA further states that Democrats are holding out “for healthcare for illegal aliens” — a misleading claim that Republicans have continuously pushed since the start of the shutdown that is false, given that undocumented immigrants are legally barred from enrolling in federally funded health programs — and “gender mutilation procedures” for transgender people, a derogatory way of describing some gender-affirming care procedures that some trans people (though certainly not all) may undergo. The continued impasse will come at the detriment of “mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable” being unable to access SNAP benefits, the site’s introductory message concludes. Multiple government websites have included similar messaging seeking to fault Democrats, despite Republicans refusing to negotiate on any matter relating to reopening the government. Democrats are refusing to support a continuing resolution to fund the government with hopes that they can negotiate the restoration of at least some of the health care funding that was cut by President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act earlier this year. Political experts have noted that the messages on these sites are likely in violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law that bars certain federal employees and government agencies from partisan activity. Several Hatch Act complaints have been filed against the administration for its use of such messaging — however, due to the shutdown itself, the workers within the Office of Special Counsel’s Hatch Act unit have been furloughed, meaning that the complaints cannot be investigated at this time. Democrats have also condemned the Trump administration for threatening to cut SNAP benefits during the shutdown, a move that could be avoided if USDA dips into $5 billion of contingency funds available for the program. A recent memo from USDA says it will not use those funds, claiming they are strictly for emergency situations such as natural disasters. “Choosing not to ensure SNAP benefits reach those in need this November would be a gross dereliction of your responsibilities to the American people,” reads a letter sent to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins by all 214 Democratic members of the House of Representatives. Critics are also blasting the Trump administration’s decision to use transphobic messaging on its websites. “It’s a cynical weaponization of federal platforms — turning what should be a lifeline into propaganda aimed at stoking resentment against marginalized groups,” transgender journalist Erin Reed wrote in a recent report on the matter. Reed added: It’s one thing to scapegoat transgender people while out of power; it’s another to keep doing so when your party controls every branch of government, and voters are watching their groceries — and their patience — run out. In a statement sent directly to Truthout, Dylan Thomas Cotter, a transgender activist and author, decried the messaging as being “absolutely wild” and a “meritless accusation to make against an entire community.” “It is my hope that the general public has begun to see through the nonsense and assess the facts as it relates to my beautiful community. … This administration and all that champion of it should be ashamed,” Cotter said.
