Trump Admin Demands Poor Return SNAP Funds While Tax Cuts Flourish
The Trump administration is reportedly demanding states 'undo' full SNAP benefits paid out during a brief judicial window, leaving 42 million Americans facing food insecurity. This financial gymnastics act comes from an administration that oversaw a 2017 tax cut package benefiting corporations and the wealthy by an estimated $1.9 trillion over 10 years (Joint Committee on Taxation, 2017).
Apparently, there's always money for tax breaks, just not for feeding the hungry. While Congress debates funding for SNAP amidst a government shutdown, the U.S. continues to funnel billions in military aid abroad. For instance, in 2019, the U.S. provided Israel with $3.8 billion in military assistance, part of a ten-year agreement signed in 2016 (Congressional Research Service, 2020). One wonders
how promptly the administration demands repayment from those accounts. Priorities, apparently, are a matter of which budget line offers the best optics, or perhaps, the loudest lobby.