Mass. Gov. Healey defends partisan jab at Trump over SNAP cuts on state website
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has defended a partisan message posted to a state website blaming President Donald Trump for this weekend's looming lapse in food benefits for more than 1 million Bay State residents.
"President Trump is currently choosing not to issue November SNAP benefits that help you and many families put food on the table," an alert posted to the state Department of Transitional Assistance's website reads.
It's the latest round of partisan sniping that also has seen the U.S. Agriculture Department blame Democrats on Capitol Hill for the loss of benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
An image of the message posted to the state Department of Transitional Assistance's website.Screen Capture
Starting Saturday, some 1.1 million people statewide are expected to lose benefits under the decades-old program, often referred to as "food stamps," as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Healey on Monday called on the Agriculture Department to tap a contingency fund to keep benefits flowing. Nationwide, about 42 million depend on SNAP to keep food on the table.
The administration's messaging netted it some partisan pushback from a top lawmaker.
On Monday, state Sen. Ryan Fattman, R-Worcester/Hampden, engaged in some parliamentary gymnastics to cut short the chamber's session. He said he hoped it would "send a message" about the administration's partisan messaging, The Boston Globe and other outlets reported.
"The message has been, you know, 'Blame the president, blame the Congress,'" Fattman, of Sutton, said, according to the newspaper. "It's very specific about who they're blaming. And to me, that type of resource, when it's paid for by taxpayer money, shouldn't happen."
Healey, a Democrat, stood by the move later in the day when she was asked about it by reporters.
"The facts are that [President] Donald Trump, right now, is refusing to fund SNAP even though he has the funds to do it. The facts are that every other president during a federal shutdown has continued SNAP benefits for kids, for our seniors, for people with disabilities, using contingency funds," Healey said, according to published reports.
"Donald Trump is choosing not to do that. Donald Trump is choosing not to feed people in America, including in Massachusetts," she said, echoing prior comments.
Earlier in the day on Monday, Healey accused Trump of abdicating his responsibilities by not tapping the contingency money.
Trump needs to do what "every other president has done in American history when there's been a federal shutdown," and that's ensure "that seniors, that people with disabilities are fed," Healey told reporters after she left an unrelated event at the State House.
"That's something that an American president should do," she continued. "It's something he owes to the American people."
Healey rejected suggestions that the state could tap its more than $8 billion Rainy Day Fund to provide a stopgap until lawmakers on Capitol Hill get a deal to end the four-week-old shutdown.
"What needs to happen is the president of the United States needs to do what every other president in history has done, which is to use the contingency fund, billions of dollars, to fund the SNAP program to feed kids, seniors, people with disabilities across America during the pendency of this federal shutdown," she said.
Healey also brushed aside a question on why the state couldn't fund SNAP benefits when it had found billions of dollars to pay for its emergency shelter system.
At $240 million a month, "there's no way that a state, any state in the country, can begin to backfill," Healey said.
But there's a problem with that approach.
Last week, the Agriculture Department said that it can't dip into such funds during the shutdown, and that states won't be reimbursed if they move to cover expenses on their own, according to an internal agency memo .
"Unlike other reimbursable programs, SNAP allotments are fully federally funded," the agency asserted. "States are responsible for determining household benefits, and the movement of dollars through to the processors and ultimately to the retailers. There is no provision nor allowance under current law for States to cover the cost of benefits and be reimbursed."
Asked by a reporter whether the state had a plan B, Healey appealed to residents' sense of charity.
"The plan now, folks, is to rely on food pantries, to rely on food banks, to encourage those who can contribute to something like the United Way Response Fund," she said. "But, you know, that is what is happening. It is because of a decision that Donald Trump has made not to fund SNAP. It's completely unnecessary. This doesn't need to happen."
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