Will the suspension of food stamps bring democrats back to the government shutdown negotiations? We're talking billions in welfare, here . . .

Photo above- mirror image. British citizens protest cuts to their "free" healthcare. Their NHS already excludes illegal aliens, which is at the center of the US government shutdown debate.

Clearly, closing federal parks and national monuments isn’t a crisis for the voting public. I’d have thought that air traffic controllers calling in sick might turn the tide, but then the control tower folks suddenly got better and came back to work when they heard that they might be fired entirely. Today’s crisis trial ballon is SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps). Various agencies are warning that the suspension of food stamps is at hand. See CBS link below.

President Trump is having difficulty explaining why he’s giving money away to Argentina (which sells its soybeans to China) and also to American soybean farmers who are hurting after China pivoted to Argentina for hog feed. Imagine what happens if welfare screeches to a halt. Food stamps could turn out to be a more compelling rallying cry than “no kings – stop treating us like pawns”.

Pessimists are saying the government shutdown could last until Thanksgiving. Actually, reporters at “The Hill” are saying this, but they don’t have any quotes from key senators or house members. The link below outlines more than dozen key calendar dates – paydays, health insurance open enrollment, etc – that will cause anguish between now and Thanksgiving.

I’m not sure what Republicans actually want at this stage. They’re certainly not going to get the sweeping medical care cuts they were originally baited with by the White House. Democrats want no cuts at all, and Republicans can't agree on what to cut.

The most coherent suggestion I’ve heard so far is “cut free medical care to illegal aliens, and talk about the other stuff later.” This would place America in the same category as the United Kingdom, which doesn’t provide free health care to illegal aliens. And also excludes certain visitors who have some sort of valid visa. This line in the sand could be easy to explain to American voters. Especially if their food stamps were cut off while various politicians and their flacks jet around the country trying to use unlimited alien health benefits as a 2026 campaign issue.

I’d go one step further, if it would help resolve this issue. What should happen to states which have declared themselves as "sanctuaries", and are harboring illegal aliens such as drug dealers, murder suspects, etc? Should they get their full allowance of federal health subsidies? If you’re going to break the rules, there should be consequences. An allowance cut?

I’m just sayin’ . . .


States warn SNAP benefits may stop in November if shutdown continues

When could the government shutdown end? Five key dates to watch