SNAP advantages and the Trump administration: What to know

[ad_1] This story appeared in The Logoff , a day by day e-newsletter that helps you keep knowledgeable in regards to the Trump administration with out letting political information take over your life. Subscribe here .

Welcome to The Logoff: The standing of pressing meals help is as soon as once more up within the air after President Donald Trump weighed in on Tuesday.

What occurred? On Tuesday morning, Trump posted on Fact Social that “SNAP BENEFITS … can be given solely when the Radical Left Democrats open up authorities.”

If correct, the president’s choice to disclaim meals help to tens of millions of People can be in direct battle with a courtroom order and statements by his personal administration, which mentioned yesterday it could draw on billions of {dollars} in contingency funds to supply partial Supplemental Vitamin Help Program, or SNAP, advantages for November.

White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt subsequently advised reporters that, opposite to Trump’s publish, “the administration is totally complying with the courtroom order” — however with SNAP advantages at the moment unavailable after an interruption over the weekend, it might be a while till we all know for certain.

What’s the context? The Trump administration isn’t speculated to have a alternative in whether or not it offers at the least some SNAP advantages this month, following an order by a federal decide in Rhode Island final week. Nevertheless, it has opted to not faucet further, voluntary funding sources to supply the total quantity to beneficiaries.

Why does this matter? As a rule, the Logoff tries to cowl solely concrete, significant actions by the Trump administration. Generally the Trump administration’s inner back-and-forth is simply noise, and nothing in the end comes of it — however that is a type of occasions the place the phrases do matter.

Meals advantages have already lapsed, and it’s unclear once they’ll resume. At finest, Trump’s feedback merely deepen the uncertainty that tens of millions of People, lots of them kids, are feeling about when they may subsequent obtain very important meals help. At worst, they imply Trump is actively making an attempt to make use of SNAP advantages as a political cudgel, harming People in hopes his political opponents will cave.

And with that, it’s time to log out…

The Minimize collected a listing of how to assist households whose SNAP advantages are in jeopardy, which you could find here . Alternatively and on a lighter notice, you may take pleasure in this reflection from Defector on a superb however heartbreaking MLB playoffs and the way the Dodgers — now back-to-back champions — made it occur. Thanks for studying and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow!