Shutdown Follies: Food Aid Is The Next Thing To Run Out, Putting Democrats On The Hook

Let’s remember, Democrats voted for a clean funding bill numerous times before deciding not to vote for the exact same thing, wanting a fight. Now, their constituents who Dems like to keep poor and voting Democrat will get hit

Food-aid cliff bears down on Democrats as shutdown nears 1-month mark

Missed paychecks, canceled infrastructure projects and mass firings haven’t yet convinced congressional Democrats to change their government shutdown stance. But they are now facing down another pressure point threatening a program they’ve long championed benefiting millions of Americans.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps feed more than 40 million people, will start to run out of funds Nov. 1, President Donald Trump’s USDA is warning. At least 25 states plan to cut off benefits starting on that date — including California, the overwhelmingly Democratic state with 4.5 million SNAP recipients.

The food-aid cliff has largely flown under the radar as Democrats focus on another Nov. 1 development: the launch of open enrollment for Affordable Care Act insurance plans in most states. They believe massive premium hikes prompted by the expiration of key federal subsidies will compel Republicans to relent and negotiate an extension at that time.

So far, despite the possible food assistance fallout in just over a week, top Democrats are pushing ahead and refusing to shore up the votes to reopen the government.

Asked Tuesday if the cliff would change his party’s calculus, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said it would not: “It should change Republicans’ calculus, that they should sit down and negotiate — negotiate a way to address this crisis.”

Let’s not forget what this is all about, as Speaker Johnson notes

(Breitbart) Let’s remember the true origins of the boondoggle that is American health care. Under Obamacare, Democrats wrote that bill. They passed it into law without a single Republican vote. During the COVID pandemic, Democrats created temporary Obamacare credits, again without a single Republican vote. Democrats then voted to extend those credits. They set the expiration date on and then when they held the majority in the Senate, it was Democrats who chose not to extend those credits beyond this year. Now, as we approach their own self imposed expiration date, now they are breathlessly insisting to you and on all the interviews that somehow it’s a Republican crisis.

They created this issue to start with. All the data said this would happen, though, COVID skyrocketed the costs, which was not part of the initial assessments. And here’s Hakeem Jeffries

Host Chris Hayes asked, “What do you say to people who say, look, the subsidies at issue were first passed during COVID as an emergency measure. They have been extended now, it’s 2025. Is there some fundamental failure of the Affordable Care Act or the entire system, if, absent this kind of band-aid, you’re going to see these sort of price spikes?”

Jeffries answered, “Well, listen, we believe that our healthcare system is broken and it’s in need of comprehensive reform. Republicans, of course, have aggravated that situation in the most extraordinary way and in a variety of [ways], largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Their policies are closing hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health clinics all across the country. Of course, they’re assaulting medical research, have basically shut that down in the country. They want to trigger the largest cut to Medicare at the end of the year, $536 billion. And, of course, this issue with their refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. (part of a much longer quote)

Wasn’t Ocare supposed to fix the health insurance system? Or, was it the whole healthcare system? No one was ever clear on that during the debate over Ocare all the way back when it was passed up through when it went into effect in 2013. Maybe they should be negotiating on how to actually fix the mess, not throw more and bigger subsidies. Perhaps the answer to this shutdown should be “let’s keep the subsidies for a year, let’s make sure people get their food assistance, work towards creating an insurance system that actually works, and open the government.”

Healthcare for illegals, DEI projects in foreign countries, get rid of border security, and more.