1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

I am outraged by the Trump administration’s decision to withhold approximately $6 billion in USDA reserve funds while millions of families are losing access to food during the ongoing shutdown.  USDA’s own September shutdown plan explicitly stated that its multi-year contingency funds “can be used … to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year.”  Yet now, despite clear congressional intent, the Department is refusing to act—leaving more than 42 million Americans without the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits they depend on. To add insult to injury, states that step in with their own resources are being told they will not be reimbursed.  Meanwhile, the same administration somehow “found” $20 billion to bolster Argentina’s currency and protect wealthy investors, and Republicans—who control the White House and both chambers of Congress—are using official government websites to blame Democrats for a shutdown they could end immediately. This is not fiscal prudence; it is cruelty and political gamesmanship at the expense of hungry children and working families.  I urge you to speak out publicly and demand that the administration release USDA’s contingency funds immediately and restore SNAP benefits without delay.