Trump said on his Truth Social online service that government lawyers do not believe the government has the “legal authority” to pay out Snap benefits once the funding runs out on Saturday. However, he added that he had instructed lawyers to “clarify as quickly as possible” how to finance Snap.
A household lockdown has been in effect in the USA for four weeks. Hundreds of thousands of federal government employees have no longer been paid because of the so-called shutdown.
Through the Snap program, low-income households receive payment cards so they can purchase fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy products. More than 42 million people in the United States rely on the support.
According to government data, about 18 million Snap recipients live in states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. Another almost 24 million Snap recipients live in states that voted for the Republican Trump.
The budget freeze in the USA came into force on October 1st after Republicans and Democrats in Congress were unable to agree on an interim budget. Since then, both sides have blamed each other for the paralysis of parts of the administration. The shutdown will only end once a transitional budget is passed. There is no agreement in sight.
