Senator Merkley Condemns Trump's 'Make America Hungry Agenda' and SNAP Cuts

Trump's 'Make America Hungry Agenda'

• 🎯 Senator Jeff Merkley criticizes President Trump's new strategy, labeling it the 'Make America Hungry Agenda'.
• ⚠️ Merkley accuses the administration of weaponizing food assistance against vulnerable families and children.

Impact of SNAP Cuts on Children

• 📉 In Oregon alone, SNAP feeds over 750,000 people, including more than 200,000 children, illustrating the vast scale of potential impact.
• 🧠 Hunger significantly affects children's physical development, brain function, and educational attainment.
• 🚫 Children cannot learn effectively when they are hungry, highlighting a three-fold attack on America's children.

Bipartisan Solutions and Administration Obstruction

• 🤝 Democrats and Republicans previously created a contingency fund of over $4.5 billion and transfer authority from a tariff fund to ensure children do not go hungry.
• ❌ The Department of Agriculture initially posted a notice to use these funds but later rescinded it at the president's direction, turning children's hunger into a bargaining chip.
• ⚖️ Despite two court decisions mandating the funding of SNAP, the administration has delayed, claiming it will take weeks or months to reprogram systems, effectively defying court orders.

Partial Benefits and Systemic Delays

• 💸 The administration's proposal to use only the contingency fund would provide partial benefits, insufficient for families, amounting to as little as $3 per person per day.
• ⚙️ Reprogramming state and federal systems to distribute reduced benefits is cited as a reason for delays, which Merkley argues is a tactic to slow-walk compliance with court orders.

Defense of Democracy and Call to Action

• 🏛️ Merkley emphasizes that the nation's democracy is based on legislative bodies working together, not on authoritarian directives from the president.
• 💰 He contrasts the proposed cuts with actions like sending $20 billion to Argentina and providing trillion-dollar tax breaks to the wealthiest families.
• ✅ Senators are urged to uphold their oath to the Constitution and defend a government that serves the people, not the powerful, by demanding the full funding of SNAP.