Nearly 42 million people in danger as federal government shutdown continues and Snap funding to end 1 November

Two decades ago, Sara Carlson, then a mother of three, was newly single because of a traumatic event, and the US’s food stamp program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), helped her feed her children with free food supplies.

“I wouldn’t have been able to afford to live,” said Carlson, 45, who lives in Rochester, Minnesota, and now works as an operations manager for a wealth-management firm and serves on the board of Channel One Regional Food Bank, which works to increase food access.

While the food stamps helped her, the government cut her off after a couple years because she started making too much money, which meant she again had to worry about having enough food.

Now, nearly 42 million people around the country could face the same fate if the federal government shutdown continues and funding for Snap is cut off on 1 November.

  • Macchi_the_Slime@piefed.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    48·
    5 days ago

    Fucking disgusting that Trump is literally counting on Democrats not wanting people like me and my family to have to worry about starving to avoid having to negotiate with them.

    I hope like hell they don’t cave to this fucking hostage tactic.

      • unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de
        5·
        5 days ago

        Lots of versions but yeah mostly its “nine” https://quoteinvestigator.com/2022/05/02/nine-meals/
        I would argue that its less than 9 for people that have never actually experienced true hunger however.

        • 1896: The only barrier between us and anarchy is the last nine meals we’ve had. (Alfred Henry Lewis)
        • 1906: There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy. (Alfred Henry Lewis)
        • 1911: Only nine meals stood between civilization and anarchy. (Anonymous)
        • 1916: Only about seven meals stand between a man and anarchy. (Anonymous)
        • 1932: We are never more than nine meals away from anarchy. (John J. Fitzgerald)
        • 1942: There are only nine meals between man and revolution. (Anonymous)
        • 1946: No one is more than nine meals away from murder. (Theo. G. Lurman Jr.)
        • 1947: Every man is only nine meals away from Communism. (Leland L. Sage)
        • 1974: No man was ever more than about nine meals away from crime or suicide. (Eric Sevareid)
        • 1977: No country is more than three meals away from a revolution. (Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle)
        • 1980: You’re only nine meals away from being a criminal. (Anonymous prison inmate)
        • 1980: Each of us is only nine meals away from stealing. (Robert L. Eddy)
        • whiwake@sh.itjust.works
          21·
          5 days ago

          Well in 2025 it will be an unlimited number of meals because the United States citizen isn’t going to do anything against the government, they are just going to steal from Walmart

            • whiwake@sh.itjust.works
              3·
              5 days ago

              Stealing Food from a corporation is not anarchy while you let the government do whatever they want.

              People are going to get arrested left and right for all sorts of things. There will be way too many people in prison and we will have to put them to work. Labor shortage solved.

              Far too many people Think this is business as usual and that everything will be over in 2028 when Trump leaves office. But this shit is never ending. This is the new reality… And like reality, humans love to ignore it

              • unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de
                2·
                5 days ago

                If almost nobody is following laws, then thats anarchy in my book. Im not saying that its immoral or bad for people to steal under these circumstances but that doesnt change the fact that its anarchy from a societal standpoint. Even if the state and its laws still exist, the outcome is the same as if they didnt.

                • whiwake@sh.itjust.works
                  1·
                  5 days ago

                  They are following the laws. They are just disobeying one, which is going in and stealing food. That is the only law they are breaking. They won’t stop paying taxes, they will relatively drive the speed limit, they won’t kill people (Except maybe their neighbors for food), No one will go around raping or stealing televisions.

                  When you say almost nobody, that’s the incorrect part in my opinion. The vast majority of people aren’t going to be doing any of this. The vast majority of people can afford food – even if they cannot afford much else. The people who are actually affected by this are a relatively small amount of people. And the number of people who will actually die of starvation inside the United States because of snap shutting down will be absolutely zero.