Kelly Statement on Trump Administration’s Failure to Release SNAP Benefits

Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly released the following statement after the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would not use available funds to continue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in November:   

“Millions of Americans are already struggling with higher grocery prices because of President Trump’s tariffs, and now he wants to make it worse by letting people go hungry. The president has billions of dollars at his disposal to prevent a lapse in SNAP benefits, but he’s choosing to hurt working families and use them as political pawns in this shutdown. I want to see the government reopen and stop health care costs from spiking, but that requires President Trump and congressional Republicans to come to the table and work on a solution.” 

Background:

According to the USDA, SNAP benefits are set to expire beginning November 1 despite Congress having created a contingency fund specifically to keep SNAP running during a shutdown. Earlier this week, Senator Kelly and 45 of his Senate colleagues sent a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins urging the Department to use its available funds and legal authorities to continue providing food benefits to more than 42 million Americans, including over 923,000 Arizonans, who depend on SNAP.