The Trump administration applied to the Supreme Court for an emergency appeal to block a court order to fully fund SNAP aid payments. The funding issue means SNAP aid is proportionately reduced.
Elsewhere in the unseemly catfight, USDA, the agency that oversees SNAP, has ordered the states to “undo steps taken to issue full food stamp benefits”. Exactly how this order is applied could be messy, given that 50 states are directly involved and have already incurred costs for the steps they’ve taken.
It’s actually far worse than it looks. This is truly lousy basic governance of the worst kind.
SNAP is funded under a fairly complex statutory regime. Provisions for individual payouts vary from a maximum of $300 to an average of $190 per month. It’s hardly a luxurious scheme, particularly in a cost-of-living meltdown.
In budgetary terms, this is very much bread-and-butter stuff. It’s a longstanding welfare program since 1964, with various neurotic changes from inception. There’s nothing even remotely extraordinary about it as a budget item.
According to the administration, $4.65 billion is available. The USDA has issued “guidance” to reduce SNAP payouts by 50% in November. As you can see from the princely numbers above, that’s 50% of very little per month.
SNAP funding is nearly 10% of the amount given to Argentina for political reasons. You’ll be delighted to hear that funding for this early Christmas gift also comes from “private sources”.
42 million Americans are therefore worth that much less than Argentina feeling good about itself. Americans aren’t getting funded by “private sources”, particularly the last few generations of tax dodgers.
This is where “American exceptionalism” turns ugly.
This is:
Exceptionally unnecessary.
Exceptionally stupid.
Exceptionally inefficient.
Exceptionally backward.
Exceptionally dishonest.
During the pandemic, the USA funded all those so-called socialist welfare options, including SNAP, with ease. Problems were solved before they happened. It was affordable to do. Complaints were mainly from price-gougers and political skanks.
To put this in perspective, the average American consumer spends about $20 per hour on Main Street. Compare that to the SNAP program payouts above. That makes it pretty cost-effective, if not all that generous.
Also bear in mind that SNAP is all about food, not other expenses. The shutdown alone will cost an estimated $14 billion, more than three times the entire stated SNAP program. The cost of damage control to laid off unpaid government workers will cost a lot more.
When does this inexcusable, financially illiterate idiocy become any form of government?
Update: Democratic Senators voted with Republicans to end the shutdown. It’s unclear whether this will make the SNAP situation better or worse. None of the Democrat Senators will be running in 2026.
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
