The Hunger Line: America’s Most Vulnerable Face a Crisis of Cruelty

The Trump administration's refusal to release $6 billion in federal contingency funds for SNAP food assistance during a government shutdown has created what advocates are calling a manufactured hunger crisis affecting 42 million Americans. At least 25 states have notified recipients that benefits will end, while governors respond in sharply different ways—some allocating state emergency funds, others declaring emergencies but offering no concrete plans, and some refusing to spend money without federal reimbursement guarantees. Food banks across the country are warning they cannot handle the anticipated surge in demand, especially after the administration previously canceled 94 million pounds of promised food aid.