Democrats Hold Line as SNAP Cutoff Looms | JQJO

Democrats entered a fourth week of the government shutdown united behind a strategy to withhold votes unless health care demands are met, even as a cutoff of SNAP food aid for roughly 42 million looms on November 1. Party leaders criticized President Donald Trump for not negotiating and traveling abroad, while the USDA said it won’t use contingency funds to pay next month’s benefits, contradicting Trump’s assurances. Union leaders urged a “clean” stopgap funding bill; Republicans proposed a CR that Democrats blocked, as some GOP senators pressed to fund SNAP and others argued pressure should remain on Democrats.