This shutdown stinks. Defunding SNAP is an exceptionally cruel manifestation of political gridlock
The potential damage being done by the government shutdown is wearing everybody out. With the possibility that the SNAP program (once known as food stamps) may be defunded, that damage will go from potential to real for millions of Americans.
A judge may yet force the government to find a way to fund the program, but the institutionalized callousness of our ineffectual leaders in Washington, who seem willing to let SNAP benefits expire rather than reach compromise on the federal budget, is an exceptionally cruel manifestation of political gridlock.
There are 41 million Americans (about 12% of us) that use SNAP benefits to obtain food. What are they supposed to do if the program comes to a halt?
Meantime, we South Dakotans, living in one of our nation’s most important food-producing states, are particularly impacted by the SNAP program. Not only do 75,000 of us get direct benefits, our state’s farmers work in an industry that gets a significant amount of financial support via the program’s delivery of South Dakota-grown food.
A 2019 study by the Department of Agriculture concludes that “$1 billion in new SNAP benefits would generate an additional $32 million in income for the U.S. agriculture industries and support an additional 480 full-time agriculture jobs.”
Considering that in 2024 the SNAP program cost the government just over $100 billion, its economic impact on agriculture has been significant. Rural economies like South Dakota’s get a boost from SNAP.
Even if our congressional delegation can’t muster up the heart to help 42 million people get their nutritional requirements met, they should appreciate the program’s overall economic benefits.
Everybody’s sick and tired of the finger-pointing morass that has been created by the hyper-partisanship dominating Washington. These so-called representatives in Congress need to quit their stubborn refusal to make some concessions and get this country functioning.
John Tsitrian is a businessman and writer from the Black Hills. He was a weekly columnist for the Rapid City Journal for 20 years. His articles and commentary have also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Denver Post and The Omaha World-Herald. Tsitrian served in the Marines for three years (1966-69), including a 13-month tour of duty as a radioman in Vietnam. Republish with permission.
Photo: SNAP logo, public domain, wikimedia commons
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