U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana Clay Higgins (Image source: Politico/x)
As millions of Americans brace for a sudden halt in food assistance, GOP lawmaker Clay Higgins is offering exactly zero comfort. In a post on X, the Louisiana Republican lectured families facing a November 1 cutoff to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, writing, "There are 22 million American households receiving SNAP benefits for groceries, at $4200 per year on average," and insisting that anyone who does not have a month of food saved "should never again receive SNAP, because wow, stop smoking crack."
A monthlong government shutdown has pushed SNAP to the edge of a funding cliff, with the Agriculture Department warning that November benefits are in danger unless Congress acts. SNAP served an average of 41.7 million people in fiscal year 2024, across roughly 22 million households.
Higgins doubled down on the idea that recipients should have stockpiled groceries, a suggestion wildly out of step with how SNAP works in the real world. The program's average monthly benefit was about $187 per person in 2024, which is hardly a cushion for building a a month worth of food in an era of high food prices. The backlash was immediate, with critics calling the post cruel and detached from the realities of low-income households.
The political standoff that triggered the shutdown shows little sign of easing. Democrats in the Senate are refusing to move forward on a stopgap funding bill unless it includes an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of 2025, arguing that premiums will spike without action. Republicans hold a 53 to 47 majority, but the chamber's 60-vote threshold to advance legislation has repeatedly stalled GOP proposals. The fight has spilled into public airwaves as premiums rise and open enrollment looms.
From the sidelines, Donald Trump has urged Republicans to scrap the filibuster altogether. "It is now time for the Republicans to play their 'TRUMP CARD,' and go for what is called the Nuclear Option, get rid of the filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW," he wrote on social media, a demand that drew swift resistance from Senate traditionalists.
There is at least one narrow lifeline on the table from Senator Josh Hawley who has introduced the Keep SNAP Funded Act, a standalone bill that would authorize the USDA to continue paying benefits during the shutdown and cover missed payments retroactively. Democrats have signaled they would back it, but Republican leadership has not committed to bringing it to the floor. With November benefits days away, the clock is not on anyone's side.
Higgins' shocking lack of empathy lands in the middle of that uncertainty, more scold than solution. For the 41.7 million people who rely on SNAP each month, a funding lapse means going hungry, including those in mixed-households. As one anti-hunger group warned this week, paper promises do not buy groceries, and lecturing struggling families does nothing to keep food on the table. Until Congress passes a fix, the nation's largest anti-hunger program hangs in the balance, and millions will be left refreshing their EBT accounts, waiting for help that may not arrive.