Rep. Craig, Assistant Leader Neguse Host Press Conference on Trump Administration’s Refusal to Fund SNAP
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture Angie Craig and Assistant Leader Joe Neguse (CO-02) hosted a press conference on the Trump Administration’s deliberate suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Reps. Craig and Neguse were joined by Reps. Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) and Alma Adams (NC-12).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has sufficient SNAP contingency funding to provide full benefits for the month of November, despite the Republicans’ government shutdown. However, President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins are refusing to release more than $5 billion in available funding taking away food assistance from nearly 42 million Americans.
“In the case of November SNAP benefits, this Administration’s hands are not tied,” Rep. Craig said in her remarks. “Withholding food from hungry children, seniors, people with disabilities and veterans is a choice.”
“The law is clear and unambiguous on this point,” she continued. “I am calling on the President to get back from Asia – to do the right thing and the moral thing. I am calling on the President to follow the law. And where are my Republican colleagues? Silent. Complicit. They have a responsibility to their constituents not to go along with this cruel behavior.”
“This Administration must stop playing politics with America’s hungry seniors, veterans and children,” Rep. Craig concluded.
Yesterday, Rep. Craig joined House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Appropriations Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) in a press conference to demand the Trump Administration use previously appropriated funding to fund SNAP in November.
The press conference followed a lawsuit filed by 25 states and the District of Columbia against the Trump Administration for illegally withholding Congressionally appropriated funds that would have helped fund food assistance benefits through November. You can read Rep. Craig’s statement on the lawsuit here. You can watch her interview with MSNBC’s Chris Jansing on the lawsuit and the Administration’s assault on SNAP here.
You can watch the full clip of Rep. Craig’s remarks from today’s press conference here.
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