NYT Reports Trump's Shutdown Play, Forgetting Biden Did It First
Funny, because just last year, President Biden's administration quietly allowed pandemic-era SNAP benefits to expire, slashing food assistance for millions of Americans. Congressional Budget Office data from March 2023 showed that move reduced benefits by an average of $95 per person per month. No 'ominous strategy' headlines then, just 'inflation concerns' and a return to 'fiscal responsibility'
for the nation's most vulnerable. Funny how 'using a crisis' only gets coverage when the 'wrong' party does it. The bipartisan consensus seems clear: weaponize hunger if it serves a political end. Whether it's Trump explicitly threatening cuts or Biden's administration silently letting the safety net fray, the outcome for families needing food assistance remains the same. One might wonder why one
approach gets labeled 'strategic' and the other, 'unavoidable.' Perhaps the Times needs a style guide update for which party's cuts are deemed 'newsworthy tyranny.'