Senate GOP divided as millions risk losing food aid in shutdown standoff
As the government shutdown continues to disrupt essential services and benefits, Senate Republicans are actively exploring several legislative options to address funding shortfalls. Among them is a bill proposed by Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) aimed at extending funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance to approximately 42 million Americans. Hawley’s initiative comes in response to alarming news from the Trump administration that SNAP funding would run out imminently, prompting the need to shuffle funds from an emergency contingency reserve to keep the program operational temporarily. Despite having garnered support from ten Republican co-sponsors and one Democratic co-sponsor, the bill has not yet been allowed to reach the Senate floor for a vote, with Hawley emphasizing the urgency of the situation by stating, “We don’t need to allow 42 million people to go hungry.”
The ongoing shutdown has led to significant financial distress for federal workers, military personnel, and air traffic controllers, who missed their first full paycheck during the impasse. In light of this, other Republicans are proposing various bills to alleviate the financial strain, including measures to ensure that military personnel and essential federal employees receive their pay. However, Senate Republican leadership, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), is pushing back against piecemeal approaches like Hawley’s, arguing they could undermine broader efforts to compel Senate Democrats to agree to a comprehensive solution to reopen the government. Thune and others believe a unified bill that can garner enough bipartisan support is the most effective path forward.
While some Republican senators, such as Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), have expressed reservations about supporting Hawley’s bill, citing the need to pass a larger continuing resolution (CR) instead, co-sponsors like Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) remain hopeful that the SNAP funding legislation will be considered before the looming funding cliff. Welch articulated a compassionate stance, stating that the priority during the shutdown should not be to deprive people of food. As the situation evolves, the urgency to find a resolution grows, with some senators warning that the length of the shutdown could directly impact whether the SNAP bill is brought to a vote. The ongoing negotiations reflect a broader struggle within Congress to balance immediate humanitarian needs against political strategies, as both parties grapple with the implications of the shutdown on vulnerable populations.
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Senate Republicans are mulling a handful of bills to meet funding shortfalls as the shutdown drags on, but one that would prevent funding for federal benefits from lapsing may not get a shot on the floor.
Sen.
Josh Hawley
, R-Mo., is pushing a bill that would extend funding for food stamps, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), until the government reopens and regular government funding continues.
His legislation
comes after the Trump administration announced over the weekend the funding for the program would run dry on Saturday, and that they would reshuffle funding from an emergency contingency fund to keep the program afloat.
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It’s one of a handful of bills pushed by Republicans to try and ease the pain of the ongoing shutdown. Others include efforts to pay certain federal workers, the military, and air traffic controllers, who missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday.
Hawley stressed that he would like a vote on the bill, but that it is so far being blocked from reaching the floor. He believed the legislation, which has 10 Republican co-sponsors and one Democratic co-sponsor, would pass if it hit the floor.
“My strong encouragement is we don’t need to allow 42 million people to go hungry,” he said.
But Senate Republican leadership and the
White House
want to exert pressure on Senate Democrats to reopen the government, and using the piecemeal “rifle shot” strategy could get in the way of that.
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., took a firm position against the rifle-shot approach after a closed-door lunch with the Senate GOP and Vice President
JD Vance.
“This piecemeal approach, where you do one-off here, one-off there, to make it seem, you know, more politically palatable to somebody or less painful. That’s just a wrong way to do this,” Thune said. “There’s just a simple way to do it is to pick up the bill on the desk of the Senate and give us five more Democrat votes to pass it.”
Vance said that “we’re trying to keep as much open as possible” and exploring all options with limited funds for SNAP and other issues, and he noted that the White House had found a way to pay the troops.
“You know what would make this really easy? If the Democrats just opened up the government. Then we wouldn’t have to play this game where we’re trying to find, trying to fit a square peg in a round hole with this budget,” Vance said.
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Other Republicans echoed leadership and the White House’s sentiment.
Sen.
Ron Johnson
, R-Wis., similarly has a one-off funding bill that would pay working federal employees and the military, which he’s trying to reconfigure into a compromise proposal with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
However, he didn’t appear keen on supporting Hawley’s bill.
“The way you provide SNAP benefits is you vote for the House CR. It’s that simple,” he told Fox News Digital.
But co-sponsors of the bill were still hopeful that it could get a shot before the Saturday funding cliff.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., is the lone Democratic co-sponsor on the bill. He noted that while Senate Democrats’ primary focus during the shutdown was on extending the expiring Obamacare premium subsidies, it was “not to take food from people who need it.”
“I’m really concerned about people not getting fed,” he said.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is another co-sponsor on the bill and told Fox News Digital that it depended on “how much longer this [shutdown] goes” on whether the SNAP legislation hits the floor.
“I hope so, because we can’t let people who need food to starve to death because of Democrats’ vanity and lack of humanity,” he said.
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
