WASHINGTON, D.C. (Island News) -- House Democrats, including Rep. Jill Tokuda, are calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use available funds to protect November SNAP benefits as the government shutdown continues.
Rep. Tokuda joined 214 House Democrats in a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to ensure food assistance continues for millions of Americans during the federal government shutdown. Congress established a contingency reserve fund of $5 billion towards SNAP for 42 million Americans who may go without food assistance in November.
The shutdown that began at the beginning of October has left millions uncertain about being able to afford food, stemming from issues such as missed paychecks for federal workers.
“Thousands of Hawaiʻi households will soon face an impossible question — how to put food on the table with no certainty that their federal SNAP benefits will come through next month,” said Rep. Tokuda. “SNAP contingency funds exist for emergencies like this, yet 42 million Americans, from keiki to kūpuna, risk going hungry. That is unconscionable. USDA already confirmed SNAP has multi-year contingency funds to keep operating through a shutdown. Now the Trump administration claims their hands are tied, and that guidance has vanished. As this Republican shutdown approaches its second month, the administration has a choice: either continue to use food as a political weapon or use the legal authority given to them by Congress to stop this crisis and keep families fed. I urge Secretary Rollins and the administration to do the right thing and fulfill their responsibility to the American people.”
By: Jeremiah Estrada
Source: KITV