November is here, and the government shutdown — now the longest ever at 35 days — has entered its second month, leaving 42 million Americans without SNAP benefits during this critical time of year. Yet, instead of prioritizing those in need, president Donald Trump and his administration have shown where their true focus lies. On Halloween, while families faced the growing crisis, Trump and his guests hosted a lavish “Great Gatsby”-themed party at Mar-A-Lago — complete with flappers, showgirls, and all the glitz that now feels tone-deaf against the backdrop of soaring hunger.
Less than 24 hours before SNAP benefits ran out, Trump took to Truth Social to reverse his stance on releasing emergency funds, claiming they would only be provided if Democrats reopened the government — a move they could easily make but are choosing not to. Despite a court order to release nearly $5 million in emergency funds, his administration plans to give relief to only half of the eligible households, with delays stretching out for months. Meanwhile, they refuse to tap into other emergency funds to fully support the nearly nine million Americans awaiting their food assistance.
Across the country, grocery stores had planned to offer discounts to SNAP recipients to help ease their food insecurity. But that plan was thwarted when the USDA issued stern warnings: stores must offer the same prices and conditions for SNAP shoppers as everyone else, and any attempt to provide discounts exclusively for SNAP users would be considered a violation. In essence, the federal agency made it clear — supporting struggling families with discounts is off-limits, even as children go hungry and working single moms juggle multiple jobs just to keep food on the table.
This stance reveals the cruel calculus at play. While millions face the pain of hunger, those in power seem more interested in political leverage — using food insecurity as a bargaining chip against Democrats or as a pretext to push a healthcare bill that threatens to make medical care inaccessible and unbearable for millions. They don’t care about the people. Protecting access to affordable food and healthcare isn’t a priority. Instead, they prefer to see Americans suffer and say “I told you so,” all in the service of political gain.