When Federal Dollars Shrink, States Take On Their Own Poor
The MSNBC headline shouts, 'Dozens of states sue Trump administration over food stamp cuts.' And indeed, 36 states did file suit in 2020 against regulations that would cut SNAP benefits for approximately 680,000 Americans (OpenSecrets.org data confirms this legal action and its timing). This narrative highlights bureaucratic cruelty, yet conveniently forgets that 'fiscal conservatism' consistently
prioritizes corporate tax breaks and bloated defense budgets over feeding the nation's hungry. While Americans agonize over pennies from pantry programs, the Pentagon gleefully approves another F-35 after another F-35 (a single one costing around $80 million). One might wonder if the 'social safety net' is actually just a fishing net, designed with holes large enough for the wealthy to swim
through, while catching the rest of us in a cycle of manufactured scarcity. How many tax cuts for the rich does it take to finally 'balance the budget'? Apparently, all of them. But fear not, the states will pick up the tab – until they can’t.