Category: Government Shutdown
Woman goes viral after admitting to being on SNAP benefits for 3 decades
A video showing a woman complaining about her lack of food aid benefits is going viral because she admitted that she’s been on the dole for 30 years.
Maggie Aragon of New Mexico was interviewed on a KOAT-TV news story intending to drum up sympathy for the tens of millions of Americans who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The program was facing suspension over the ongoing government shutdown.
‘Welfare was meant to lift people up, not trap them forever. When do we start rewarding work again?’
“The first thing I did was grab my phone and call, and when I heard ‘zero dollars,’ my chest went into my throat!” Aragon said to KOAT. “I have depended on those benefits since the 1990s, and it’s detrimental to my life if I don’t get them.”
She told the outlet that she often had to rely on food banks in addition to SNAP in order to survive.
Video of Aragon’s comments went viral on social media, where it garnered millions of views.
Many pounced on the admission to criticize the program.
“I can barely afford my own bills and this useless eater has been on food stamps for 30 f**king years. She’s been living off MY taxes for 30 f**king years. Cut it off. Let them suffer,” author Matt Forney replied.
“Millions of people live entirely as wards of the state, completely disconnected from the world of work and self-sufficiency. How can this be sustainable?” writer Brian Almon responded.
“Look, I feel sympathy for people like this on a human level. But she hasn’t been able to get a job in three decades? This smells of manufactured dependency, not unavoidable hardship,” one user responded.
“Let’s say this woman is 65, which maybe she is … she has good skin, so possibly younger … that means she’s been on food stamps since she was in her early 30s or maybe younger. That is literally insane,” commentator Ryan Girdusky said.
“Thirty years on food stamps says everything about the system, not the person. Welfare was meant to lift people up, not trap them forever. When do we start rewarding work again?” another user said.
Others defended Aragon on the possibility that she was suffering from a disability and was unable to work.
RELATED: Judges rule that food stamp benefits cannot be suspended over shutdown — and Trump responds
At least one police department said it had increased patrols around grocery stores and food banks to avoid robbery and unrest.
“These increased patrols are not in response to any specific incident, but are a preventive measure to maintain public safety, deter theft, and reassure the community that law enforcement is present and ready to help,” reads a statement from the Barstow Police Department.
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Pro-Shutdown Democrat Blames GOP When Her State’s Main Industry Begs For Government To Reopen
Democratic Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen is continuing to embrace Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s shutdown strategy despite major tourism-related businesses and hotels in her state begging for relief. Rosen blamed Republicans for the 34-day shutdown when pressed about nearly 500 travel industry-related groups — including 12 located in Nevada — calling on Congress to pass […]
What Has Congress Actually Done During The Shutdown?
The government remaining shut down for over a month has still not stopped the Senate from going about its business. Congress is poised to break the record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history on Tuesday night, after Senate Democrats blocked a bipartisan GOP-backed clean spending bill to reopen the government 13 times in a row. During […]
Democrat-induced shutdown poised to break record as key programs lapse
The Democrat-induced government shutdown is set to break the record for the longest shutdown in history.
Senate Democrats blocked the GOP’s clean funding resolution on September 30, initiating the government shutdown on October 1. Over a month has passed since then, with the shutdown inching toward the 35-day record after over a dozen failed Senate votes.
‘REPUBLICANS, BE TOUGH AND SMART!’
If this streak of failed votes continues through midnight Wednesday as expected, the government shutdown will have surpassed the previous record-holding 35-day shutdown from President Donald Trump’s first term.
Although neither party has indicated that a deal is on the horizon, Trump has urged Republicans to deploy the nuclear option to bring the shutdown to a close.
RELATED: Trump urges Senate to deploy the ‘Nuclear Option’ on filibuster
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, NOT JUST FOR THE SHUTDOWN, BUT FOR EVERYTHING ELSE,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “WE WILL GET ALL OF OUR COMMON SENSE POLICIES APPROVED (VOTER ID, ANYONE?) AND MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! REMEMBER, THE DEMOCRATS WILL DO IT IMMEDIATELY, AS SOON AS THEY GET THE CHANCE. OUR DOING IT WILL NOT GIVE THEM THE CHANCE.”
“REPUBLICANS, BE TOUGH AND SMART! THE DEMS ARE CRAZED LUNATICS, THEY WILL NOT OPEN UP OUR COUNTRY NO MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IRREPARABLY HARMED!”
Trump’s calls to eliminate the filibuster would allow Republicans to pass their funding bill with a simple majority as opposed to the 60-vote threshold currently in place. Only three Democrats have consistently crossed the aisle and voted with Republicans to reopen the government, falling short of the 60 votes needed.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, an institutionalist, has always been against eliminating the filibuster. Despite pressure from the president, Thune maintains that his “position on the importance of the legislative filibuster is unchanged.”
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
While Congress shows no signs of progress, millions of Americans lost key government benefits like food assistance programs that lapsed over the weekend. Programs like SNAP affect citizens across the country, but Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is taking the opportunity to clean house, ensuring illegal aliens are not taking advantage of the program.
“I’m glad to see the Trump administration is working to get to the bottom of why 41 million people are on SNAP and why this program exploded on Joe Biden’s watch,” said Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has repeatedly voted with Democrats against the funding bill, in a post on X. “It’s time to root out the waste, fraud, and abuse.”
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Judges rule that food stamp benefits cannot be suspended over shutdown — and Trump responds
The threat to cut food aid benefits was ended by two court rulings that said the Trump administration would need to use contingency plans to keep the money flowing.
Democrats and Republicans have been blaming each other for the U.S. Department of Agriculture plan to cut off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits on Nov. 1.
‘I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT.’
On Friday, judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled that SNAP benefits could not be cut.
“There is no doubt and it is beyond argument that irreparable harm will begin to occur, if it hasn’t already occurred in the terror it has caused some people about the availability of funding for food, for their family,” said U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston similarly ruled that the “suspension of SNAP payments was based on the erroneous conclusion that the contingency funds could not be used to ensure continuation of SNAP payments.”
Both judges McConnell and Talwani were appointed by former President Joe Biden.
The president responded to the rulings in a post on Truth Social.
“Our Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay SNAP with certain monies we have available, and now two Courts have issued conflicting opinions on what we can and cannot do,” the president said.
“I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,” he added. “Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.”
RELATED: California police increase patrols around grocery stores ahead of possible food stamp shutoff
He went on to blame Democrats for the shutdown and called on Americans to pressure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York to reopen the government.
“If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay,” Trump added.
About 42 million Americans depend on the SNAP program for food aid. Polling shows that far more Americans blame Democrats for this shutdown than during the first government shutdown during Trump’s first term.
“If you use SNAP benefits, call the Senate Democrats, and tell them to reopen the Government, NOW!” Trump concluded.
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Places To Visit In D.C. Unaffected By The Government Shutdown
If you’re at a loss for what to do in Washington during the shutdown, or if you’re looking for off-the-beaten-path places to visit once the government reopens, check out this list.
California police increase patrols around grocery stores ahead of possible food stamp shutoff
At least one police department in California is responding to the possible lapse in food stamp benefits by stepping up patrols around grocery stores to prevent theft and unrest.
Republicans and Democrats have been blaming each other as the government shutdown enters its fifth week, but the rhetoric had worsened as the threat to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program grows closer. About 5.5 million people in California depend on SNAP food welfare.
‘These increased patrols are not in response to any specific incident, but are a preventive measure to maintain public safety, deter theft, and reassure the community.’
The Barstow Police Dept. posted the statement on their official Facebook page Tuesday.
“We understand that these circumstances may cause additional stress for many families. To help ensure the safety of residents, customers, and business owners, officers will be conducting extra patrols around local grocery stores, convenience stores, and shopping centers,” the statement reads.
“These increased patrols are not in response to any specific incident, but are a preventive measure to maintain public safety, deter theft, and reassure the community that law enforcement is present and ready to help,” they added.
The benefits will run out on Nov. 1 if the shutdown continues.
About 42 million people across the country receive the benefits.
RELATED: Who is to blame for the government shutdown? CNN analyst finds astounding results
California and 20 other states are suing the federal government to ensure the SNAP program is funded.
“While Donald Trump parades around the world trying to repair the economic damage he’s done with his incompetence, he’s denying food to millions of Americans who will go hungry next month,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said in a statement. “It’s cruel and speaks to his basic lack of humanity. He doesn’t care about the people of this country, only himself.”
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