AZ Senator, politicians respond to looming SNAP shutdown

PHOENIX - Arizona politicians are reacting to the Trump administration's announcement that they would not use available funds to continue SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits in November. 

The backstory:

As the government shutdown enters day 28, many Americans, and nearly a million Arizonans, will lose their food assistance starting Saturday, Nov. 1. The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) said the benefits will not be issued amid the federal shutdown. 

On Oct. 28, Arizona, among other states, filed a lawsuit over SNAP suspensions.

Gov. Katie Hobbs urged the federal government on Oct. 27 to release the $6 billion in SNAP contingency funds to help Arizonans.

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RELATED: Arizona governor claims Trump is halting funds as political leverage

Gov. Katie Hobbs is urging the federal government to release $6 billion in SNAP contingency funds to help Arizonans during the government shutdown.

In a letter to the Department of Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins, she claimed Washington Republicans are using Arizona residents as "political leverage."

"It’s appalling that this administration is choosing to take food out of the hands of Arizona families. They could take action today to end this crisis and deliver food assistance to nearly one million Arizonans who rely on SNAP to feed their family. Instead, they’re choosing to let seniors, children, veterans and families on the brink of crisis go hungry because of their political games," she said in part.

AZ Senator Mark Kelly

Sen. Mark Kelly released a statement Oct. 28, following the administration's failure to release the SNAP benefits.

What He's Saying:

"Millions of Americans are already struggling with higher grocery prices because of President Trump’s tariffs, and now he wants to make it worse by letting people go hungry," he said. "The president has billions of dollars at his disposal to prevent a lapse in SNAP benefits, but he’s choosing to hurt working families and use them as political pawns in this shutdown. I want to see the government reopen and stop health care costs from spiking, but that requires President Trump and congressional Republicans to come to the table and work on a solution."

Big picture view:

According to Sen. Kelly's office, he and 45 of his colleagues in the Senate also sent a letter to Rollins urging them to use the available contingency funds to help more than 42 million Americans, including 16 million children, who depend on SNAP. 

A portion of the letter from members of the Senate read in part, "We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will ‘run out of money in two weeks.’ In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November."  

Yassamin Ansari, Jared Huffman

Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee Ranking Member Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (CA-02) are calling on Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to answer why their agencies are not prioritizing the SNAP benefits.

What they're saying:

Ansari and Huffman criticized the Trump administration for keeping operations for oil, timber, and mining running, while halting critical public safety work, and furloughing staff who support wildfire response, park operations and disaster preparedness.

Since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, the politicians said the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture continue to issue more than 300 new oil and drilling permits, while pausing prescribed burns, closing visitor centers, and holding cold lease sales.

In a letter, the members also called on the mining, drilling and logging industries, claiming the administration is prioritizing these "non-essential activities" and suspending work that helps protect life.