CNN host Jake Tapper pressed Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut on Sunday, asking whether his party was prepared to allow funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, to expire in order to force an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies amidst the ongoing government shutdown.
The federal government officially shut down on October 1 after Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, blocked a bipartisan funding bill that did not include an extension of the health care subsidies. Now, with funding for food stamps for over 40 million Americans projected to run out by November 1 without Congressional action, the stakes of the impasse are rising.
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Appearing on “State of the Union,” Tapper posed the pointed question to Sen. Murphy: “Funding for food stamps is expected to run out at the end of this week… So is this a trade-off you’re willing to make and continue to make, letting some Americans go hungry until these Obamacare subsidies get extended?”
Murphy sidestepped the direct inquiry, instead placing the blame for the shutdown squarely on Republicans. “We’re shut down right now because Republicans are refusing to even talk to Democrats about a bipartisan budget bill,” Murphy claimed. He argued that the present situation is “unprecedented” because Republicans have “refused to talk to Democrats about a bipartisan budget,” contrasting it with past bipartisan negotiations under the current administration.
The Connecticut senator defended the demand for extending health care subsidies, which he called “essential.” He stressed that a key Democratic priority is “making sure that premiums don’t go up by 75% for 22 million families this fall.” Murphy asserted that a deal could be reached quickly if both parties engaged in negotiation.
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Murphy then cited the administration’s recent $20 billion aid package to Argentina as proof of the government’s financial flexibility. “The president just announced $20 billion going to bail out the Argentinian economy. For $20 billion, we could open the government back up, that’s enough money to relieve a lot of pressure from these premium increases,” he stated, adding, “We could get this deal done in a day if the president was in D.C. rather than overseas. We could open up the government on Tuesday or Wednesday, and there wouldn’t be any crisis in the food.”
The ongoing standoff has serious implications, as over two dozen states have already warned they will halt SNAP benefits by November 1 if the government remains unfunded. Senate Democrats have maintained a united front, repeatedly blocking Republican attempts to end the shutdown and signaling they will not support any deal that omits an extension of the Obamacare subsidies and other Democratic priorities.
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