Fetterman shared that he expects to see the impact personally when he returns to Pennsylvania. His wife, Giselle, runs a local Free Store distributing food three times a week, and he has already noticed longer lines. “Now, I will encounter people that have no SNAP benefits starting on Saturday, and I don’t have an explanation for them,” he said.
Apologizing on behalf of Senate Democrats, Fetterman called the situation “an absolute failure” and highlighted the struggle parents face when basic benefits disappear.
The Pennsylvania Democrat, who has consistently supported continuing resolutions to fund and reopen the government, criticized his party for failing to reach an agreement with Senate Republicans. “If a Democrat — you know, we’re not allowed to just open this up, I mean, then our party has bigger problems than I thought we might have already. It’s like, that’s not controversial. Pay everybody,” he said.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) posted a video criticizing President Donald Trump for the shutdown’s effects on SNAP. Schumer said Trump is “manufacturing a hunger crisis to bludgeon the American people so he doesn’t have to fix healthcare.”
Republican leaders have said they are open to negotiating new subsidies for Obamacare but only after a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government is passed.
As the standoff continues, federal workers remain unpaid, SNAP benefits are at risk, and families across the country are feeling the effects of a shutdown that shows no immediate resolution.