November 04, 2025 10:49 AM UTC

President Trump Takes Ownership Of Millions Of Hungry Americans

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• by: Colorado Pols

The ongoing federal government shutdown will take its place as the longest in U.S. history this week, surpassing the 2018-19 shutdown (also under President Trump) that only ended after Trump caved on demands for Congress to fund a wall along the southern border. Americans have largely blamed Republicans for the shutdown since the beginning; those poll numbers continue moving in the wrong direction for Trump and the GOP as Americans find out that health care premiums are doubling and SNAP (food stamp) benefits are disappearing.

As we noted last week, Trump is refusing to use emergency funds that were set aside specifically to keep SNAP benefits afloat — even though it is people in red states who stand to suffer the most. Multiple states — including Colorado — joined in a federal lawsuit to force the Department of Agriculture to dip into its $5 billion contingency fund to keep the most vulnerable Americans from literally starving. On Friday, federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ruled that the Trump administration MUST continue to appropriate SNAP benefits. Today, Trump made it clear that he plans to ignore those court rulings and punish poor people for his inability to reopen the federal government.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump says that SNAP benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government…and not before!”

And just like that, President Trump and Congressional Republicans officially own this fiasco.

Trump and Republicans can’t blame Democrats for the pause in SNAP benefits when the President is literally refusing to abide by federal court orders. We can’t explain how Trump can even do this legally, but the political question is no longer up for discussion.

This is a big problem for politicians such as Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Ft. Lupton), who has spent much of his time recently trying to blame Democrats for rising health care costs and the stoppage of SNAP benefits. His message from last week (see image at right) aged…poorly.

Meanwhile, as 9NEWS reports, the line outside the Weld Food Bank yesterday morning where Evans made appearances on his infamous “Tour of Destruction” over the summer, is wrapped around the block:

“About 60% of the folks coming here today are saying that the funding freeze has impacted them and their households,” said Weston Edmunds, the food bank’s director of marketing and communications.

Edmunds said the organization expected an influx after families reported missing their weekend SNAP deposits. To meet the rising need, the Weld Food Bank will be open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

“We will actually be open from 8 until 3:30 this afternoon,” Edmunds said. “There are people in line that this is the first time they’re going to be accessing the food bank.”

Here’s the full letter from Evans in which Evans blames Democratic Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper for the lapse in SNAP benefits:

Americans already believe that it is Republicans who are most at fault for the government shutdown, the doubling of health insurance premiums, and the restriction of SNAP benefits. Evans can’t blame Democrats for the pause in SNAP benefits when President Trump is now defiantly refusing to abide by court orders to keep those benefits coming.

With one “Truth,” Trump just surrendered any moral high ground Republicans still possessed.