The Trump administration agreed earlier this week to release $4.65 billion of its $5 billion contingency fund to keep SNAP payments flowing. However, the administration made no promises that full SNAP payments would be allocated, and President Trump said the other day that no more payments would be made until Democrats ended the Schumer Shutdown.
The media are, of course, trying to blame the SNAP shortages on President Trump and Republicans. They've done their job and voted more than a dozen times to reopen the government. Democrats, on the other hand, have made it very clear they plan to use Americans' suffering as leverage.
It would perhaps be easier for the media to garner sympathy if they chose stories about people who are more sympathetic. The other day, they spoke to a woman who had been on SNAP for three decades, which proved SNAP critics correct.
And now they're back with another woman who is starving. But the optics of this story absolutely backfire.
NEWS 12: "Danielle Grant is starving."
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 5, 2025
pic.twitter.com/X3w7KlHG5h
This is similar to the time when Amy Klobuchar brought a single mom before Congress to make the same argument about SNAP cuts. The visual of a larger person saying they're starving just does not drive the public to embrace your cause. And it proves your critics right.
It's possible, thanks to Democrats, that this woman is hungry. Thankfully, she's in line for food distribution. Democrats could end her distress by voting for a clean Continuing Resolution and reopening the government. But they like her suffering, and the media help Democrats exploit it.
The United States is the only country in the world where "starving" means you're 80 pounds overweight
— Wuhan the Merchant Will 🥸☕️☢️ (@bigpwill231) November 5, 2025
And where the media think that's worth a news story.
Are they saying that these people were already “struggling to feed their families with the FULL AMOUNT”? Depending on how many kids you have, even more if they have a disability is over $800 monthly.. Some even get $3k. How do you need that much money for food MONTHLY? https://t.co/M7ueXb0wRz pic.twitter.com/MPhgvyjS3T
— Mbas Liech 🐘 (@HawkAyo) November 6, 2025
Yes. That's what the report said. They were "struggling" with the full amount. Do you know any family that spends $3,000 of their own money just on food? Probably not.
I have worked anywhere between one and three jobs since I was 15 - the fact that even one cent of my paycheck goes towards feeding illiterate obese garden gnomes is f***ing demoralizing. https://t.co/xC9v5CoIBB
— M2 (@Amer1can_Barbie) November 6, 2025
We have seen how generous Americans can be to help others in need. Americans can, and do, sympathize with people who are suffering. However, it's challenging to evoke sympathy with stories like this.
There's also a lesson here about relying on the government for survival
This is what you get when you rely on government for your personal needs. https://t.co/F6Vxi8za0p
— JC (@JohnnyCarlino) November 5, 2025
The government can shut down. Politicians and leaders change, as do society's priorities. Money can run out.
But, once again, if Democrats are so concerned, they can pass the clean CR today and get SNAP benefits returned to people like Danielle.
Instead, they keep the Schumer Shutdown going to leverage her suffering.