"New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a state of emergency on Thursday, joining other state and municipal officials who tapped local funds to help fill the void. I'm declaring a State of Emergency to use every tool we have to help the three million New Yorkers losing food assistance because of the GOP shutdown, Hochul said in a social media post. Rhode Island, Virginia and New Mexico have also announced emergency declarations in recent days to address the crisis."
"While federal services often face complications or interruptions during government shutdowns, the Trump administration's decision to completely suspend food benefits starting on November 1 is unusual. Never before has the federal government frozen funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), sometimes referred to as food stamps. Democrats have accused the White House of politicising food aid to pressure politicians to fall in line with Trump's priorities."
"Twenty-five Democrat-led states have sued to ensure SNAP continues to receive funding, and on Thursday, a hearing was held in a federal court in Massachusetts. With the suspension of SNAP benefits, the nutritional needs of millions of school-aged children in Plaintiff States will not be met, the plaintiffs wrote in a filing. They also argued that grocers and other merchants who work with food assistance programmes would be adversely affected. US District Judge Indira Talwani indicated that she planned to issue a decision later that day. Talwani also said that the government should find an equitable way of reducing benefits as an alternative instead of ending them entirely."
State and local officials are tapping emergency powers and local funds as federal SNAP food benefits are scheduled to lapse on November 1 amid a government shutdown. New York declared a state of emergency to support roughly three million residents losing benefits; Rhode Island, Virginia and New Mexico issued similar declarations. The Trump administration's complete suspension of SNAP funds is unprecedented. Twenty-five Democrat-led states filed suit to force continuation of SNAP funding, arguing children and retail partners will suffer. A federal judge signalled a prompt decision and suggested exploring equitable reductions rather than an outright termination of benefits.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]