Schumer, Dems call 'bull----' on Trump admin for food stamp shutdown threat

By Fox News · Fox News

Senate Democrats railed against Republicans’ and the Trump administration’s argument that the well had run dry on federal food stamp benefits, given that President Donald Trump funded the program during the last shutdown. Over the weekend, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned in a memo that because of the ongoing shutdown and lack of appropriations, funding for food stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), would run out by Nov. 1. Despite there being an emergency contingency fund of roughly $5 billion, the USDA argued that the emergency funding was not "legally available." SENATE GOP DIVIDED AS MILLIONS RISK LOSING FOOD AID IN SHUTDOWN STANDOFF However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats argued at a press conference on Wednesday that Trump had funded SNAP during the last government shutdown in 2019. Trump’s then-Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that SNAP funding would be available while Washington was still in the throes of that partial government shutdown. "They funded it under Trump in the last shutdown," Schumer said. "So don't believe the bull." Both Senate Republicans and Democrats have made legislative efforts to avert the SNAP funding cliff , which, if not avoided on Saturday, would see 42 million people lose their food benefits. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., doubled down on his stance against one-off bills, or so-called "rifle shots" that would fund certain programs, or pay some federal workers, that lawmakers have been pushing in the background. STATES SUE TRUMP ADMIN OVER BILLIONS IN LOOMING CUTS TO SNAP, FOOD STAMPS "I think that the quickest way to end it is to just open everything up and then everybody gets paid," Thune said. "You're not picking winners and losers or having to explain to this group why you open it up to this group. I mean, that just doesn't make any sense to me." Schumer said Senate Democrats would support bills from both Sen. Josh Haw…