Senate GOP Blocks Effort to Extend SNAP Benefits for 42 Million People as Shutdown Enters Week Five

Senate GOP blocks effort to extend SNAP benefits for 42 million people as shutdown enters week five

The U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats urged Republican leaders Wednesday to pass a bill to extend critical food assistance for the most vulnerable Americans during the ongoing government shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats would support a standalone bill introduced by GOP Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley. And New Mexico Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luján attempt…

GOP Blocks SNAP Bill, Benefits at Risk

Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a Democratic-led effort to keep federal food aid programs funded, raising the likelihood that benefits to roughly 42 million Americans will lapse at the end of the week if the government shutdown continues.Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on the Senate floor Wednesday that the bill introduced by Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., which would extend funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance …