Trump Tells States To Return To 'Normal' Operations, And Restrict Food Assistance

[babylonsister]

https://crooksandliars.com/2020/08/trump-tells-states-return-normal

8/12/20 4:10am
Trump Tells States To Return To 'Normal' Operations, And Restrict Food Assistance
Despite the fact that COVID-19 hasn't yet magically disappeared, Trump is behaving as if it has, and insists the states behave that way, too. And families will starve.
By Joan McCarter


While most of the supply chain issues for food that arose at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis have been resolved, food costs for consumers are still higher than they were back in January, in some places significantly so. High food costs and high unemployment means that from April through June, one in three families with children reported food insecurity, not enough food for every family member to have adequate nutrition every day.

Back in May, Feeding America reported "record levels" of food insecurity, projecting 54 million Americans, including 1 in 4 children, would not have enough to eat throughout the duration of the crisis. That was May, but it's going to get worse because the Trump administration is ending the flexibility states were given back in March to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or food stamps to more people. The Department of Agriculture is now telling states they have to return to "normal operations," and put limits on food assistance. Normal. Operations. In a still-raging pandemic. In which tens of millions of people just lost the lifeline of extra unemployment benefits.

The Families First Act, passed back on March 18, gave states the flexibility to change SNAP eligibility and procedures to maximize assistance. And SNAP responded, adding more than 6 million people, about a 17% increase nationally, by May. The March law did two things. It allowed states to waive the requirement that currently participating households continue to prove their eligibility or risk losing the assistance. Almost every state did waive the requirements or extended the deadline, to give people—and states—more time to provide information and process cases. It also allowed states to simplify the application process to make sure that all the newly unemployed could get help right away.

Now the USDA is telling states they have to return to "normal" by next month. That's despite the fact that the SNAP caseloads have mushroomed since March and returning to "normal" means much more work. The demand that states start rigorously proving that people getting the benefits are eligible means that states could be cutting needy households just because the overloaded states can't fulfill the paperwork and interview requirements in the mandated timeline. The need is only going to increase now, with the end of the $600/week unemployment insurance bump. Many receiving the enhanced UI weren't eligible for food stamps, but with the loss of that income will be, just in time to have their access to assistance shut down.

Some states haven't even been able to get virtual application and eligibility processing established by now. Requiring new applicants to apply in-person for assistance is a burden on both staff and the applicants, one that could be dangerous in a COVID-19 hotspot. It's a burden that will stretch states. It's an arbitrary decision that will make more people go hungry.

[pwb]

1. It is what Satan would do.

Putin may have suggested it too.

[Lars39]

2. Evil fucks

[abqtommy]

3. Sphincter says "what"?*

* to Mike Meyers...

[tanyev]

4. How about the states return to normal after you get rid of your advance Covid testing teams?

Normal, right?

[Hestia]

5. Is he trying to goad a Civil War II so "they" can use the shiny military hardware?

They have those microwave machines that send out heatwaves and airwaves for crowd control. (All paid for by us).

People need to set up Drumpfville's on "its" golf courses. A lot of them are public lands leased by "it." Hell, do that with every private golf course. A lot of Americans don't play anymore, only 8% of the population. Less pollution runoff to public streams if used for the Drumpfville's. Keep the groundskeepers, who need the jobs, but please people, police your trash. Tiny houses would be great. Plant crops.

The rich can have a putt-putt course left for them.

[crickets]

6. Somebody point out that his stupid EOs didn't touch this issue.

Hungry people, hungry children just are not a priority for trump and his administration, godly as they are.

[Nexus2]

7. Trump is a real

beatings will continue until morale improves kind of leader.

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. Does IT wake up every morning and think just how IT can do the most harm to the most people?

Sure seems so. Evil POS!

[Initech]

9. Can we please fire his sorry ass already?

[I_UndergroundPanther]

10. Fuck you trump

Choke on that big Mac you fucking loser. You are a waste of skin, I hope you choke to death because you certainly won't starve with that big ass and gut you pig.

Trump wants to kill people
And one of his tools to do it is poverty as in making the poor destitute..

Die trump die...