Since the government shutdown on Oct. 1, programs that millions of Americans rely on every day have been running on borrowed time, as their funding is no longer assured. Many services have already halted, including many national parks and the Smithsonian, but more critical government programs will end by the end of this year. An announcement from the United States Department of Agriculture, posted on their website, claims that benefits from the Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program, commonly known as food stamps, will not be fulfilled on Nov. 1, which could be catastrophic for millions who depend on the money to feed themselves and their family.
It is not on the Democrats to cave into Republican demands; it is on the Republican Party to rule. While they control both houses of Congress and the presidency, the burden is on them to help the American people. The ball is in the Republicans’ court; the shutdown must end now.
The latest use of SNAP as a point of political leverage shows the moral bankruptcy of the Republican Party as of late.
The idea that our government is shut down because we can’t find money to fund the healthcare of the poorest people in our nation is ghoulish when paired with the actions of our president. A 40 billion dollar bailout to Argentina, paired with the construction of a quarter billion dollar ballroom, sends a clear message: the people of America do not matter to the Republicans.
1.4 million federal workers are either out of work or working without pay, and 40 million people will not receive food aid during one of the most significant affordability crises in American history. People are hurting economically more than ever right now. To purposefully put more pressure on Americans at a time like this is beyond a political or economic misstep; it amounts to treason against the American people. Money can be found to end this shutdown. It has often been seen that tax cuts favor the top 1 percent, provide direct aid to a foreign ally, or award massive contracts to weapons manufacturers. End the shutdown.
