The SNAP Freeze Shows Charity Is No Substitute for Welfare
The Trump administration suspended funding for food stamps this weekend, and local food banks are already overwhelmed by hungry Americans — belying conservative arguments that private charities can fill the role of the welfare state.
Local food banks are getting slammed by poor Americans who have run out of food stamps amid the SNAP funding freeze. (Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) expired on Saturday amid the government shutdown, putting an estimated forty million people at risk of going hungry. Already the news is full of stories about local food banks getting slammed by poor Americans who have run out of food stamps. And predictably, a lot of these private charities are already failing to meet the demand. A story from Florida is typical:
Community Cooperative had to turn away about 75 people after serving nearly 200 families due to running out of food, although their main market remains stocked. CEO Stefanie Ink Edwards said, “It’s heartbreaking. We never want to turn anybody away to say we’re out of food or we can’t help you. . .”
NBC reports another episode in Arizona:
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