What’s happening with food stamps in the US?

[OverDram]

I’m seeing it all over social media. Has Trump stopped the equivalent of benefits?

Can someone explain please?

The military also don’t have guaranteed pay due to the shutdown. I read a stat (that I can’t remember the details of) about how many military families also rely on food welfare and it was a reasonably chunk, so they’re losing that. And the treasury secretary has said that past 15th Nov, there won’t be money to pay the military.

Some states, like California and Minnesota, are expanding their food assistance programs.

I'm sorry for your health issues, but if you don't want to be troubled (you don't actually sound that troubled), you can move on to one of the other 100 posts.

Is this something that could happen every single year?

they are. but not for this length of time and with little contingency.

It wouldn't be in a functioning democracy.

The first shutdown to occur was in the 1970s and most of them have been extremely short - often just a day or two.

If you exclude Trump, the total length of all shutdowns combined is about 75 days (the longest was 21 days under Clinton).

Trump is the current record holder at 35 days (that occurred during his first term) and this one could well last even longer. He doesn't really have much interest in...you know...governing.

And yeah, personally I doubt the US is still a democracy, but the big litmus tests are yet to come.

Stop being so unpleasant. You don’t have to read this thread and you didn’t have to comment? Move on to a different thread you miser.

It does happen. Not every year, but often enough.
Usually it only lasts a week or so, budget gets passed and everything goes back to normal.

This time it’s fucking insane.

The internet isn’t hand picked for you.

im very concerned by this because Farage is literally trump in a different suit.

Is there not a point where it has to end?

Or can they just drag this out forever.

There are rumblings among US politicians that congress won't go back at all this year.
Must be something really bad in those files.

Yes, those who are not troubled by what is happening in the US, may soon be very troubled if the wannabee, Trump lover, gets his party into power.

I suspect they wouldn’t care, until they lost their healthcare and jobs.

Well they CAN stay shut down indefinitely…….

But if that happens, the country will descend into carnage.
We can feel it bubbling on the surface already - people will start stealing because they have no other choice to feed their families.
People will die because they have no access to healthcare.
The military aren’t being paid - they can’t arrest everyone for refusing to soldier if people stop showing up to work 🤷🏻‍♀️

Everyone is in those files.
Both sides of the aisle - republican, democrat and everything in between.
I’m not saying every single one of them is a paedophile……but what I am saying is that if you follow the money, it will lead you to all of them.

Who would want to work for a government agency if this can happen unexpectedly.
Crazy system.

The Epstein files are just a sideshow. The actual battle is over the affordable healthcare act. There are currently government subsidies to make it possible for people to afford to buy the now required health insurance on the open market. The republicans want to stop those subsidies. The democrats want them to continue. Without the subsidies, health insurance will become completely unaffordable and people will just have to pay the small annual fine for being uninsured instead.

They will then leave illnesses untreated until it becomes an emergency. At that point hospitals are required to treat them enough to stabilize them regardless of ability to pay. Hospitals will then pass the cost of treating those patients on to the patients who are paying. Thus those of us who do pay for our healthcare will have to pay even more.

since they can’t agree on a budget, the government shuts down and essentially everyone except the elected officials responsible for the mess don’t get paid. Essentials workers like air traffic controllers and military still have to show up to work without a paycheck. So they have the expenses of working like childcare and transportation, but no money coming in.

republicans control both the house and senate. They could push through the budget. They could authorize food stamp spending. They don’t want to take responsibility.

right now they are holding the poor hostage in a way. We can give them healthcare or food.

Either choice has a massive impact on the economy as a whole. Food stamps spending not entering the economy is going to hurt all of us and disrupt the supply chain in general.

I voted yabu because you are clearly not being unreasonable and no aibu question therefore this isn’t an aibu thread!

They seem confident they'll still be able to pay the active military, and Trump seems keen to prompt unrest (as part of his election suppression efforts).

It might ultimately come down to whether the military continue to remain willing to do his bidding, if things escalate.

My DH is convinced that that’s why Trump has only called in National Guard so far and not active duty military in places like Chicago, DC and Portland……
Anyone who thinks active duty servicemen who currently don’t know if they can pay their rent or feed their children on Monday will show up and blindly do as they are told, are on glue.
Base Commanders and direct chains of command seem to be doing what they can to protect their people though. Even with Hegseth’s ridiculousness spewing down the chain every other day, most of the people responsible for enforcing the dumbfuckery are like “Sure buddy, we’ll definitely do that” while laughing at him.
Lose the respect and control of the people who have all the guns and you’re fucked 🫠👍🏻 The military do what that do because usually there’s a pretty decent financial incentive to do it. Not anymore there isn’t.

For the workers that are still working but not getting paid- do they then get back paid when the mess is sorted or they just working completely for free right now?

Yes but at least the democrats (and, to their credit, some republicans) want to see the files released.

I'm pretty confident Trump has been involved in some of the more heinous crimes, though. It's hard to explain away things like the FBI questioning Epstien on whether he had "socialized" with Trump and underage girls, Trump's extraordinary intervention with Ghislaine Maxwell (and moving her to a cushy prison) and general attempts at concealment, plus the court claims filed (with supportive witness statements) - then dropped, seemingly under some pressure - re. his alleged forcible rape of a minor.

Obviously there are others who are under real suspicion, but the strongest evidence of guilt seems to be in relation to Trump.

Also I read that usually when people don’t get paid it’s backdated once the shutdown is over so they do get it eventually, but this time Trump is saying that he may not honour that.

Yeah.
When it happened last time under Trump, we got back pay.

This time?
I’m more likely to believe that Elvis is going to knock on my door.