Weaponizing Hunger
The Trump administration is fighting for the right to keep families hungry
The Gist: Sunday afternoon, my great-niece told me we might not get our food stamps this month - or if we do, only partial. We have to wait for an Appeals court to decide. My family eating or not is at the Appeals court. That’s where we are. $23 billion in contingency funds exists, confirmed by federal judges, but the Trump administration is fighting in court to NOT use it. Forty-two million Americans - including my household - are waiting to see if the richest country in the world will choose to feed its citizens.
Sunday afternoon, November 9th. I’m checking the calendar to see what day my Social Security comes in. My great-niece Amanda walks into the kitchen and says, “We aren’t getting food stamps this month. Or if we do, it might only be partial. We have to wait for the Appeals court to decide.”
As my head started to spin through next steps, I stopped. It was a surreal moment. So my family eating or not is at the Appeals court? Really? So fucking strange.
I’m a disabled Navy veteran. I live in a multi-generational household with Amanda - she’s my caretaker - her husband, and their three kids. Six of us total. I pay my own expenses from my VA disability compensation. The other five depend on about $700 a month in SNAP benefits.
That’s their full amount. Seven hundred dollars to feed five people for a month. It’s not enough - it never is - but it’s what keeps everyone fed. We make it work.
Amanda’s husband and one of their daughters have Celiac disease. The severe kind - we even have to check her shampoo and lotion for gluten. She’s 10, and she’s gotten scary good at reading labels. Smart kid. Total trooper about it.
I’m convinced gluten-free is Latin for “costs more, feeds less, tastes meh.”
Even $10 is a huge amount when you need it to eat and don’t have it. We’re not talking about cutting back on luxuries here. We’re talking about whether there’s enough food.
After I had some time to absorb what we were facing, I started calculating. Checking due dates. Sending emails to folks to let them know I’d be late on this month’s payments. Trying to figure out where we could find the money to cover the gap.
The stress has been enormous on all the adults in the house. So far we’ve been able to move about our lives without the kids realizing anything is wrong. That’s a blessing. They just need to lead their lives as stress-free as possible.
The Whiplash
Here’s what happened this weekend:
Friday, November 8th (night): Supreme Court Justice Jackson issued a temporary pause on SNAP payments
Saturday, November 9th: USDA ordered states to “immediately undo” full payments that some states had already sent
Sunday, November 9-10 (night): Appeals court says NO - Trump must pay full benefits
48-hour clock starts: Deadline is Tuesday night, November 12th
So Sunday night, Amanda and I sat down again and tried to understand what the appeals court ruling meant. The court keeps telling Trump to feed his citizens. And Trump keeps playing court games.
While he has lavish parties. While he knocks down the East Wing to put in a 90,000 square foot cash generator - I mean “ballroom.” Oh, and don’t forget the beautiful marble he installed in the Lincoln bedroom. And oh my God, the gold in the Oval Office.
Sorry. I digress.
Where was I? Oh yes. Hunger being weaponized by this President.
Here’s what I know: Federal judges have confirmed that $23 billion exists in contingency funds. Money that’s sitting there, available, specifically meant for situations like this. The Trump administration is fighting in court to NOT use it.
Think about that. They’re not saying the money doesn’t exist. They’re saying they won’t use it. They’d rather fight in court - appeal after appeal after appeal - than feed 42 million Americans.
It’s vile. It’s cruel. He wants his citizens to go hungry to stick it to the Democrats.
Tuesday
We’re planning for no stamps this month. Because, well, Trump.
We haven’t figured it all out yet, but we will. Because we must. We’ve all had to do hard things before, and we will again.
I’ve been advocating for veterans and their families for 28 years. I never expected to be writing about my own family going hungry while $23 billion sits unused in a government account.
The 48-hour deadline expires Tuesday night. I’ll be checking that EBT balance. The kids will be asking what’s for dinner. And I’ll be trying to explain why the richest country in the world is playing court games with whether they get to eat.
We will not break.
But we shouldn’t have to be this strong.