House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., made multiple claims that don’t hold up during the government shutdown press conference he hosted on Halloween. Joined by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, Johnson focused on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and its impending lapse in funding.
Here are three of his statements:
- “If there was any way to fund SNAP during the Democrat shutdown, you can be assured that your commander in chief would do it.”
The speaker was referring to SNAP, the nutrition assistance program for low-income Americans, running out of money on Nov. 1.
There is $5 billion currently sitting in a SNAP contingency fund that the Trump administration claims it can’t use because a government shutdown isn’t the type of emergency the fund was created for. Democratic attorneys general from across the country sued the administration, which was forced to defend itself in federal court.
Secretary Rollins explained the Trump administration’s position –
“By law, contingency funds can only flow when the underlying fund is flowing,” Rollins told reporters.
She said the money in the fund is intended for specific events, such as hurricanes. For example, she said that if Hurricane Melissa hit the East Coast, the funds could be sent to surge resources into the affected area.
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There are also multiple bills Republicans refuse to hold a vote on that would fund SNAP while the government is shut down. Republican leadership says they won’t bring it up for a vote because they contend Democrats should instead be voting to fund the entire government, not just pieces of it. President Trump could call on Congress to pass one of those bills so he can sign it.
- [Democrats] didn’t file a lawsuit, you saw, to try to do it. Why? Because they wanted a talking point. They know that’s a frivolous piece of litigation. They know they’re going to lose, but they also know it’ll take many weeks or months to have that ultimately determined by a court.
As we mentioned, Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, and three days later, they already won. A judge ruled that the Trump administration must use the contingency fund to keep SNAP benefits available for as long as possible.
Johnson was accusing Democrats of lying about the way SNAP and its contingency fund operate to make Republicans look bad. He said Democrats are trying to place blame on Republicans for not funding SNAP, even though Democrats voted against the continuing resolution to fund the government, which would have prevented this situation altogether.
It’s worth noting that, given how much the program costs the federal government, the $5 billion in the contingency fund would last only about two weeks unless rationed.
- “What are the Democrats doing today? Where are the Democrats? Are they in the Senate today? No, they’re out campaigning. While critical SNAP benefits run dry, the Democrats skipped town. They’ve abandoned their post in the Senate.
The Senate was indeed out of town on Halloween. So was the House of Representatives.
The thing is – Republicans have a majority in both chambers of Congress, meaning they’re the ones who set the schedule. Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., decided not to hold any votes and send lawmakers home for the weekend; just like it’s been Speaker Johnson’s decision to keep his chamber out of session since Sept. 19.
Republicans can criticize Democrats for voting no on the continuing resolution and keeping the government closed, that’s true, but if Congress isn’t in D.C., it’s because Republicans made it so.
