As the government shutdown continues into its fifth week, we are coming up on a critical date. Federal funding for SNAP benefits is set to expire on November 1st, and countless families face uncertainty about how they will put food on the table. The tragic part is that this situation was totally avoidable. Over 684,600 Oklahomans rely on SNAP, but Senate Democrats would rather hold these hard-working individuals hostage than vote to reopen the government.
Democrats know this shutdown is hurting real people, but they’ve made it clear that this is a political game for them. Just last week, the number two Democrat in the House, Katherine Clark, admitted it herself, saying, “Of course, there will be families that are going to suffer… but it is one of the few leverage times we have.” She’s not the only one. Several Senate Democrats have publicly stated denying Americans their SNAP benefits may be “unpleasant,” but it’s worth it because it gives Democrats political “leverage” and that “every day gets better for us” as it relates to the shutdown. If that doesn’t tell you where their priorities are, nothing will.
It’s not just Senators. “We would have enough votes” to reopen the government “if people were not terrified of getting the guillotine,” one Democratic aide remarked. Another aide continued, stating they won’t concede short of “planes falling out of the sky.” This rhetoric is disgusting. Democrats shut the government down for political reasons, plain and simple. As I’ve stated before, it takes just five more Senate Democrats to join with Republicans to achieve the 60-vote threshold required in the Senate to pass the bill to reopen government. So far, the bill has failed over a dozen times, and there is currently no end in sight to the current government shutdown.
Just this week, I had the opportunity to join Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise, Whip Emmer, Conference Chairwoman McClain, RSC Chairman Pfluger, and other House Republicans for a press conference on the Democrat-led shutdown. I remain focused on reopening the government and ensuring that we can pay our military, border patrol, and countless other crucial federal workers. I’ve also met with constituents who rely on SNAP and other government programs. We must ensure they have the resources they need to feed their families.
The American people deserve leaders who put families, workers, and small businesses ahead of politics. It’s time for Senate Democrats to stop playing games, forget about their “leverage”, vote to reopen the government, and fund services critical to the well-being of our nation.
