Millions of Americans to get reduced food aid

AFP | Washington

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

The White House will send only partial payments to 42 million Americans who rely on food stamps to buy groceries, as the government shutdown crippling public services nears record length, officials told a judge yesterday.

Two federal courts ruled last week that President Donald Trump’s administration must use a $4.65 billion emergen‑ cy fund toward the estimated $9 billion cost for November’s payments before cutting off the Supplemental Nutrition Assis‑ tance Program (SNAP).

Officials for the Agriculture Department, which oversees the program, said in a filing to a fed‑ eral court in Rhode Island they would not make up the short‑ fall with other funding sources, meaning “50 percent of eligible households’ current allotments” would be disbursed.

Democrats’ blockade of a House of Representatives stop‑ gap funding bill looks almost certain to hit its 36th day on Wednesday, which would beat the record for the longest shut‑ down in history. As each weeks goes by, more Americans are feeling the pain from government services being suspended.

At the heart of the fight is money to help Americans cover health insurance under the Af‑ fordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

Those subsidies - a lifeline for more than 20 million peo‑ ple - are set to expire at year’s end and, unless Congress acts, premiums will skyrocket when the new sign-up period opens Saturday.

But Washington’s warring parties are deadlocked, as Dem‑ ocrats refuse to reopen the gov‑ ernment without a deal.